Notorious
by likeavirgin101
Summary: The A-listers of BOCD are back now as sophomores of the ultra prestigious Denwood-Ames Academy. The PC are still the most envied girls in school. Can they deal with the drama to come and rule the school with an iron fist? Probably. But it won't be easy.
1. Chapter 1

_**The A-listers of BOCD are back now as sophomores of the ultra prestigious Denwood-Ames Academy. Massie and the rest of the PC are still the most envied girls in school. Despite the fact that they want nothing to do with their male counterparts, all of them being ex-boyfriends and crushes, the stars of the boys soccer team, the Centaurs, can't help but grate these girls' nerves to keep them on their toes. Can the PC deal with the drama to come and continue to rule the school with an iron fist? Probably. But it's not gonna be easy.**_

_**I do not own anything recognizable. All rights to the Clique Series go to Lisi Harrison.**_

_**This is the first chapter to my new story. I am a first time writer here. Please read it and review. You can tell me that you loved it or hated, but tell me why. I have **__**a lot**__** in store for this story. I tried to stay true to the characters and their overall personalities, but they've grown up so although they might have the same vocabulary at times, at other times they don't. In this chapter, you really get a feel for who they are now that they are older. Though it might seems like tedious writing, everything I mention is for a reason. It'll appear later in the story, in the next chapter or the next ten chapters even. Finally, enjoy. xoxox**_

The Marvil Estate

Gym

October 25

6:35 PM

Massie wiped the thin layer of sweat that began to form across her forehead and stepped down from the elliptical machine. She turned around to look at how her best friends were doing. Alicia sat alongside Claire in child's pose and mimed the yoga positions of the women on the 20 inch Toshiba flat screen. Kristin rode fiercely on the exercise bike, not once losing concentration as the upbeat pop music blasted through the headphones in her ears. Dylan was doing crunches across the Pilates stability ball, or at least she was trying to.

It had all started when Dylan broke up with Cory Winchester. Cory was the son of one of Merri-Lee Marvil's actor friends. Dylan had met him while visiting her mom on The Daily Grind. They dated all summer until Dylan found out he was still "friends" with his much prettier, much skinnier ex-girlfriend _**Kendra**_. She broke up with him accusing him of still having feelings for his ex expecting him to deny it and beg her to reconsider. He did neither. A week and a half later, he and Kendra got back together. Dylan was devastated and refused to leave her room for a week. She even missed their sleepover. Finally, the girls stormed into her room and forced her to suck it up and get into her Manolo Blahniks. Claire brought up an article she read in Cosmo on the best way to get over a breakup: exercise. "The best way to get back at him is to look great." Massie and the rest of the PC agreed to join her and Kristen at the gym for moral support. They might as well tighten their booties while they were at it. That was two months ago. Working out became another part of their routine and to avoid being seen sweaty in any public place, Dylan had Merri-Lee's state of the art home gym expanded so there was enough equipment for all of them.

"Okay. I'm gonna hit the showers. I'm not feeling up to a whole hour today."

Massie headed over to the marble-floored shower room she and Dylan had designed. Above each shower stall were two large letters_._ It was her idea to have each shower engraved with the initials of the PC member it belonged to. The letters _KG, AR, CL, DM, and MB _were engraved in a beautiful Monotype script on 14 carat gold plating by each shower. Massie turned on the waterproof iHome and stepped into the shower. Several minutes later, she heard the girls walk in. Someone raised the radio volume and they all started to sing Demi Lovato at the top of their lungs. When the first song was over and they were all laughing, Massie stepped out of her stall and wrapped herself in a plush purple towel. As she got dressed into her black and white tunic dress by Anthropologie she noticed a light that popped up on Alicia's Nexus One.

"Leesh, you have a text."

"Read it aloud to me, babe."

"It's an invite. It says 'Party Mediterranean Manor this Friday night. 8:00-whenever. I'm hosting it in honor of the end of an awesome fall soccer season. U and ur friends are invited. Come and chill with us.'"Massie giggled. "Who's Captain Asshole?"

Claire, Kristen, and Dylan burst into cackles. "WHAT?" they asked simultaneously while popping their heads out of the showers.

".Gawd. Why is_ he _texting me?"Alicia asked turning off the shower and stepping out. She quickly grabbed a white towel and hurried over to Massie. The other girls quickly followed.

"Leesh, who is it?" Massie asked again impatiently.

"Josh Hotz."

A wave of gasps went around the room. Josh Hotz was a member of the Denwood-Ames Academy soccer team, the Centaurs. The Centaurs were nine time league champions. Last year, in August, 44 guys tried out for 15 spots on the team. The ones that made it were, get this, all freshmen. That had never happened since the school was founded in 1920. They were all boys in the PC's class. Since then, they were stars. This year was no different. With the exception of a junior and a freshman, the remaining thirteen spots belonged to sophomores. The fact that boys their age were as popular and admired as them should have made the PC ecstatic, except they weren't. It was all a matter of 'been there, done that'. The famously lusted after Josh Hotz, Cam Fisher, Chris Plovert, Kemp Hurley, and Derrick Harrington (or Derrington as they called him behind his back) were totally POTO (Pretty on the outside) but Massie and her friends new better. After all, who better to know all their faults and flaws then their ex-girlfriends?

Truthfully it had all been quite a while ago. The girls had each rehashed an on-and-off relationship with these boys for two years straight during 7th and 8th grade year, and even switched boys around at one point. Though Derrick and Massie had always ended up back together, she and Cam had hooked up once or twice while he and Claire were apart. Dylan had dated Derrington for a month before deciding she liked Chris. Josh admitted to liking Claire while he and Alicia had last dated. Kristen had taken a turn with Kemp, then Chris, then Kemp again. In the end, it was always Massie & Derrick, Claire & Cam, Alicia & Josh, Kristen & Kemp, and Dylan & Chris. Finally, towards the end of 8th grade year, as March rolled around and the fights and heartache winded down, the Pretty Committee coincidentally all ended up single.

They had dumped and been dumped, yelled and been yelled at, cried and well…cried. They doubted either guy had shed a single tear. It had finally hit them that all their problems began and ended with those boys. They couldn't begin to name how many fights had almost split up their group because someone had kissed somebody's ex and how many times a girl was feeling like crap because something hurtful or insensitive was said or done by their stupid boyfriend. The girls had each agreed that these boys were only destructive to a group of girls as ah-mazing as them and as they said bye to BOCD that June, they welcomed a new start at Denwood-Ames (DA). Since that June a year and a half ago, the PC could _**never**_ be found talking to a guy on the soccer team. Kristen played forward on the girls' team, but she never went to the fundraisers the girls' team had for the guys.

They went to the same parties, hung out with the same upperclassmen, had classes together, and were constantly talked about by the same gossip-hungry peers, but both groups never really acknowledged each other. Lisette Carlyle, the senior alpha, once asked Massie why that was and she gravely responded with one sentence. "That's the only way we can preserve our sanity."Lisette gave Massie a meaningful look as if she knew exactly what she meant by that and never brought it up again. That's why it was extremely out of the blue for Josh Hotz to invite the PC to his party.

"Does he not realize that there's already a huge party planned Saturday? Skye's _Halloween_ Party?" Claire asked as she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"I know. I wonder what Skye thinks?" Dylan asked with an evil smirk. Skye Hamilton was a junior. Though Skye's clique was friendly with the PC, Massie and the girls really detested them and their pushup bras. The girls were positive that the feelings were mutual, but it was all about appearances. Massie knew that Skye was older and therefore, had a tad more influence, but Skye knew that Massie had enough dirt to bring her down. Their "friendship" was more of an understanding. Plus, there was a sort of respect between the alphas for their deviousness.

"Skye probably approved it. She's always had that little crush on Josh even though she'd never admit it. That's like one of us going after a freshman boy. Girls aren't supposed to date younger guys in high school. Only guys can go for the lesser prey." Massie said with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Alicia gasped. "I wonder if that's why she asked me if he was a good kisser last year!"

The PC burst into laughter.

"Probably."Kristen said as she started to get dressed.

"Should I text him back?"Alicia asked her friends.

"I vote no. Keep them wondering if we'll show up or not. We'll act like we normally do at school tomorrow."Dylan replied as she towel dried her long red curls.

"Ah-greed." Massie and Alicia said in unison.

"Do you think the rating thing is getting kinda old? I mean, at our worst, we're still way above an LBR." Massie asked the next morning in the Range Rover on their way to school.

"Point."Alicia said after a thoughtful pause.

"But we still need to know if there's something we could do to improve our outfit. How about just having the person on our right tell us what they think?"Claire suggested. Claire was still new to the whole fashion forward thing that the girls were so very used to. The girls had all pitched in to buy her a whole new wardrobe last year and since then she'd been mixing and matching pieces from her closet with things she'd borrow from her friends.

"Fine Kuh-laire, you go first." Although Massie had once said Claire's name with contempt, as time grew, the over pronunciation of her name became a term of endearment and affection. She had grown to love her friends more than ever and though she was still alpha, she took it down a notch. She was no longer the over controlling 13 year old she used to be. It seemed to help because Alicia didn't seem to have any desire to overthrow Massie. But even if the PC saw Massie as a jokester and friend, most of the school did not. Massie made sure that everyone at DA knew not to cross her. She smiled at them and pretended to care when they tried to talk to her because she learned that as a queen, she must make the people love her, but they knew that if she willed it, their days at DA were over. After all, the Dean of Admissions, Edith Truff, was Massie's "beloved" godmother.

"I'm wearing a baby pink sequin-detailed shirt by Aqua and a skinny cargo pant by Citizens of Humanity and matching pink pumps by Steven Weitzman."

"You should have gone with off-white pumps. It's a little matchy-matchy," Dylan said after a quick head-to-toe look "but everything fits you great and you're hair looks extra shiny today."

Claire nodded and mouthed a quick 'thanks' to the red-head.

"Okay." Dylan said with a sigh. "I have on a sleeveless silk chiffon top by Ali Ro and a black pencil skirt with attached leggings by Missoni. The black ankle boots are by Brian Atwood."

"Perfect. The high ponytail makes you look sophisticated, Dyl." Kristen offered. "I have on a leopard 'kitty cardigan' by Free People, super skinny dark wash jeans by True Religion, and suede double-platform lace-up sandals by Derek Lam."

"I heart the shoes. Don't break your ankle. Unbutton a second button on the cardi and roll the sleeves up to your elbow." Massie said in one breath. Kristen did as she said and the girls gave a tiny air clap.

Massie gave a little bow and gestured to her own outfit. "All right. I have on an ivory Arrian silk georgette see-through blouse by Theory with a Guia la Bruna bra in champagne silk muslin under it-"

"Mrs. Petrocelli told Olivia Ryan that she wanted to see no visible underwear."Claire interrupted.

"Duh-livia dresses like trash," Dylan pointed out with an eye roll ", no one's skirt should be that short in public. Plus Mass looks tasteful."Massie blew an air kiss to Dylan and continued as if nothing had ever been said.

"-with a belted black double layer skirt by Prada and Patent Leather wedge ankle boots by Proenza Schouler. Alicia?"

"Flawless." Alicia said without hesitation. "As for me, I have on a bustier styled houndstooth top under a mini cashmere vest and black wool pants by Ralph Lauren with suede over the knee cuffed boots by Givenchy. Claire?"She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Claire looked thoughtful for a moment. "Your boobs look great."She said finally.

Alicia blinked and the whole car burst into giggles. Alicia looked down at her D cups and grinned. "Thanks. Thank ah-lawt." She said before laughing with them. The rest of the PC had blossomed over the summer, all with a full B cup except Dylan who filled out to a C. Alicia's boobs had gotten even bigger and the girls had been making jokes for months since they all had to visit Victoria's Secret to buy her brand new bras.

They arrived at DA and Isaac stopped the car in front of the school courtyard. They fluffed their hair and adjusted their clothing before Massie signaled Claire to open the door. Claire stepped out and the four girls followed, Massie being the last one. Hundreds of kids stood out on the courtyard in the windy fall air. Dozens of kids turned to look at who had arrived.

"Alejandro. Gaga." Massie whispered. "One, two, three, go." They walked alongside each other and looked back at the people who stared as if they had no clue as to what they were looking at. Massie wondered if it was too risky to wear her blouse to school, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind. She was already here and besides, alphas don't second guess themselves. Halfway to the school entrance, people had started getting back to their conversations and looking away, but they didn't care. Mission accomplished: people noticed them. There was no doubt that a few of those conversations had reverted to talking about them anyway. Massie opened the large gothic doors into Denwood-Ames Academy and stepped inside.


	2. Chapter 2

***Don't own the Clique.***

Chapter 2

Massie couldn't wait to see her friends. Unfortunately, on Mondays, she had only two classes with her friends. She was currently in Modern World History Class with Mrs. Petrocelli. None of the PC was in this class and for some reason Kori and Strawberry felt compelled to sit next to Massie and talk to her because of it. Derrington, Kemp, and Vince who was on the team with them sat at the table right in front of her. Luckily, she had lunch with the PC next anyway. She tuned out Kori's incessant blabbing and stared out the window watching the colorful leaves blow in the wind outside.

"Ms. Block, did you hear me?"

Massie snapped to attention and looked at Mrs. Petrocelli. "I'm sorry, what?"

The raven haired middle aged woman stared into Massie's amber pupils for a second before repeating her question. "I said, do you have a sweater to put on over your…blouse?"

Massie inwardly rolled her eyes, but she never lost eye contact with her teacher. She could feel her classmates eyes on her. She didn't realize that her teacher had noticed Massie's outfit today. She did what teenage girls did best. She played the innocence card.

"Thanks for the concern, Mrs. Petrocelli, but I'm not cold." She said with a wide stare.

The class broke into snickers and she heard a low whistle come from a few feet in front of her. She fleetingly wondered if it was Derrington. He, of all people knew exactly what type of person Massie was, and she was _nawt _innocent.

"I understand that, dear, but I'm not sure if you realized that your shirt is quite…sheer." Mrs. Petrocelli's face reddened slightly as if she was embarrassed to have noticed that she could see her student's silky bra through her blouse.

"Oh, my. Is it? I had no idea!" Massie exclaimed with a lilt in her voice that she hoped her teacher didn't catch onto. Her classmates snickered again and Massie realized that they knew exactly what she was doing and they were all looking at her in awe and amusement.

"Well….it is. So do you have anything to put on over it?"

"I'm sorry, no. This is all I have today."

"I have-"Kori started, but Massie turned sharply and shut her up with a stare. "-nothing to lend you, I'm sorry." She finished quickly. If Mrs. Petrocelli noticed, her face told nothing.

Massie smirked inwardly. She was going to get away with this one.

"She could wear my sweatshirt." Derrick interjected suddenly with a charming smile on his face. Wait…_WHAT_? Massie's inner smirk was wiped right off. He stood up and pulled off his soccer sweatshirt to reveal a long sleeve black tee-shirt under. Girls drooled at him as he walked over to Massie and looked her right in the eyes. This was the closest they had stood next to each other since they broke up in 8th grade.

"Arms up, Block." He commanded. Who would have thought those would be the first words Derrick spoke to her after a year and a half? Without her permission, her arms rose in the air and Derrick pulled his black and blue sweatshirt over her head, messing up her hair and lip gloss with one quick yank. Was it her imagination or did he squeeze her waist a little? That _bastard_. Why was he doing this? She looked up at him from her seat and narrowed her eyes before turning her lips up into a phony smile, one that he recognized. "You are just _so kind._" She said biting down on those last words so he got just how "grateful" she was.

"Yes, Derrick. Thank you so much."Mrs. Petrocelli gushed.

"No problem. I have an older sister. I understand how embarrassing this must have been for Massie." He said with a tone that sounded 100% genuine. Except it wasn't. And everyone in the room, but this twit of a teacher, knew how much he was metaphorically slapping Massie in the face right now. He sat down and got a pat on the shoulder and a whisper from Kemp that made Massie want to stand up and go jam her pen in the side of his neck and puncture his carotid artery. She took in a deep breath and counted to fifty in her head. _ONE…TWO…THREE… _

She looked down at the dumb sweatshirt she had on with a giant mythical creature with a bow and arrow and the number 11 across her chest. She knew the name Harrington was embroidered in an obnoxious electric blue on the back and she shuddered. It was still warm from when he had been wearing it and it smelled like sweat and Calvin Klein's Eternity. She distinctly remembered that he used to wear Hugo Boss. It was….spicier. This one smelled cleaner and more zingy. _I wonder when he changed it._

_Who cares what this idiot wears? It's not any of your business what he does!_ Massie scolded herself and slumped in her seat and started to absentmindedly pluck the fair blonde hairs that had stuck to it.

At the end of class, Massie hurried out the door to her locker and shoved her books in. She pulled off Derrick's sweatshirt and dropped it to the floor in an angry heap before checking her locker mirror. She brushed her straight chestnut locks and applied cherry chapstick to her glossless lips. Massie still wore gloss, but she had started to appreciate a nice layer of cherry chapstick to keep her lips rosy and moisturized as an alternative. After straightening her outfit and grabbing her wallet, she picked up the sweatshirt and headed down the hallway. As she reached a bronze trash bin at the end of the hallway she hurled the offensive article of clothing right in.

"Block, what are you doing?" Massie turned around to see Derrick rushing to the bin to yank it out.

"Pull that shit with me again and next time I burn it!" She shouted with a stomp of her boot not noticing the bystanders in the hallway watching them.

"It was a freaking joke! Nice outfit by the way. Who was it inspired by? A call girl?"

"I didn't find it very funny! And even if it was, which it wasn't, how I dress doesn't concern you. I dress however the hell I want to." She huffed.

"Tell me what this is really about, Block? What are you really mad about? I know it's not a goddamn sweatshirt!"

"It's exactly about the sweatshirt. You can do whatever you want! Wear whatever _freaking_ cologne you want! I don't interfere with your life and you don't interfere with mine. Isn't that what we've been doing since we got here? So I can show up to school naked tomorrow and you can wear stupid Calvin Klein cologne, and we never ever have to be involved with what the other persons does!"

"Wait," Derrick stopped her with a curious look on his face "how do you know that I wear Calvin Klein? And are you telling me that you plan on showing up to school naked tomorrow?"

Massie swore she could've kicked him in the groin right there and screamed _"I'm trying to make a point, you moron! Of course I'm not coming to school naked!"_ Instead, she turned on her high heel and stormed off to the cafeteria.

After explaining to the PC about the whole history class sweatshirt debacle and then the hallway shouting match she had with Derrington, Massie was surprised to see her friends laughing.

"You told him to keep wearing his stupid cologne?" Claire questioned in between her giggling.

"Does he actually think you're coming to school naked tomorrow?" Alicia asked with her eyes full of tears from how hard she laughed.

Massie started to grin as she realized how ridiculous the things that happened in the past hour were. "This is my life."

As the last period of the day ended and the PC walked to the parking lot where Isaac would be waiting for them, a senior, Jimmy Blumberg honked as he drove by in his silver Lexus.

"I support your decision to come to school au naturel completely, Massie! Wooooohooo!" Warren Roth shouted from the passenger seat.

"I can't buh-lieve he's telling people this!" Massie shrieked when they were gone.

"It might not be him, Mass." Kristen answered calmly. "There were other people in the hallway, remember?"

".Gawd. Thinking about how many people have pictured me naked today is making me flip out." Massie said exasperatedly.

"Um, honey, in case you've forgotten, you're shirt is see-through. Most of the guys in our school probably already were." Dylan said plainly.

"Yeah, okay. But now people think I'm, like, opposed to clothes or something. Honestly, clothes are pretty much the only thing I couldn't ah-dore more."

"Well they'll ahb-viously realize it's a rumor when you show up tomorrow with clothes on." Claire replied.

"Point." Alicia added with her in index finger in the air.

"Whatever. Do you guys see what happens when you have a _single_ conversation with one of those boys? A rumor starts that you're some slutty nudist!" Massie raved incredulously.

"Come on. Let's get you home. Enough with the slutty nudist talk." Kristen said while grabbing Massie's arm with a tiny smile on her face. "Let's give each other facials."

The next day at lunch, the girls all shared a large platter of sushi. The day had gone by drama-free enough. Although when she and the PC stepped out of the Range Rover that morning, a large crowd of people trying to look casual, namely males, awaited Massie's grand naked entrance. As she stepped out in dark 7 for all mankind bootcut jeans, a metallic striped sweater by American Retro, and oxford pumps by Kate Spade, she literally heard an outbreak of disappointed groans across the courtyard. She wanted to give them all the finger, but she just pretended to be puzzled by what they were waiting for.

They sat at a round table near the back wall of the cafeteria. It was near the largest window and the PC agreed that the lighting was best there. Massie had used nail polish to paint the number 18 to symbolize the beloved table 18 they left behind with BOCD.

Kristen and Claire playfully fought for the last tuna salad rolls with their chopsticks and Dylan, Alicia, and Massie made impressions of Dean Comer, the dean of discipline, in surly, gruff voices while cracking up. Suddenly five chairs were pulled up to the table and each girl's body was shifted over in her chair to make room for a grinning Kemp, Cam, Chris, Josh, and Derrick. With lack of room, each girl was now shoulder to shoulder with two guys. The PC immediately dropped their smiles and the table was silent. This didn't seem to deter the guys in the least.

"So, Alicia, you never texted me back." Josh began. "Are you ladies coming Friday or not?"

"Is this your idea of an RSVP?" Alicia quipped without amusement "Cause if it is, then it's a maybe."

"Why is that? Don't you want to come?" Derrick prodded.

"We've got something to do. We can't promise that we'll make it." Massie answered with disinterest.

"Bullshit." Derrick countered instantly.

"And if it is? So what? It's still a maybe." Claire shot back. Massie looked at her friend proudly. Who would have thought that this was the same 'easy mark' Claire, Massie had met a few years ago?

"Okay so say you're not bullshitting us here…What have you guys got to do that has to be done exactly this Friday night?" Kemp challenged.

"Dead bodies need immediate attention." Kristen cooed. The boys howled with laughter. The PC all gave Kristen an impressed tiny smile.

"Okay so we'll ditch our party, come over, and help you handle your corpse. What say you to that?" Chris mused with a purposeful glance at Dylan. Everyone looked at Dylan waiting for her response. She pretended to think about it for a few seconds then leaned forward. Chris leaned in and looked straight into her jungle green irises. "Nay."she whispered. This time it was the girls turn to laugh.

"What's it gonna take for you to come?" Cam pried.

"The real question is why do you want us to come so bad?" Claire retorted.

"It's been a while since we all hung out. We used to be so close." Josh answered.

"Too close." Alicia scoffed.

"Why now?" Massie voiced. "What's changed? Things seem to be perfectly fine the way they are. Why ruin it?"

"You're saying it like we have some agenda. Why is that?" Derrick questioned.

"You said it yourself." Alicia answered for her. "We used to be close once. There are ten of us here and none of us has ever been known to say or do anything without a reason. You guys know it and we know it."

"Yeah. I know it. But what if the reason is simply because we'd like your companionship?"Derrick offered.

"Ha!"Dylan jeered. "Companionship? I don't know if you've come to a realization yet, boys, but being 'companions' with somebody you've fooled around with is rarely achieved."

"I know an _infamous_ member of the _highly-esteemed_ Pretty Committee can't be daunted by a little groping that went on way back when." Cam snarled sarcastically as the others sniggered._ There's __**no way **__they are making fun of us. Dylan thought with disbelief._

The rest of the PC must have been thinking the same thing because they promptly sat up straighter. "What's that thing they say about mockery, Mass?" Dylan asked solemnly.

"They say it is a rust that corrodes all it touches. And what do you know? We're about to disappear." She answered stonily. The PC all got up simultaneously with their chairs making a loud screeching noise and strutted away leaving them to sit inside the pissed off invisible cloud they left behind.


	3. Chapter 3

***Don't own the Clique.***

Chapter 3

"That was so weird." Claire said later that evening. "Now I know why you were freaking out after speaking to Derrington, Mass. I might see him every day at school, but seeing Cam's two different colored eyes that close up after all this time was kind of upsetting."

"Ugh."Massie grumbled. "Tell me about it. I honestly didn't think this would ever happen. I mean, they experienced those two years with us, right? They have to grasp that with all of us it's always going to be a melodrama. Do you know that I even remember how Derrick and I broke up? He said, and I quote, 'Spare me the fucking dramatics, Block. If you want this to be over then it's done.' Then he dropped the rhinestone M pin I gave him at my feet and walked away without so much as a backward glance. I cried for almost a whole day without stopping. So, no, never again."

"I know. Do they expect us to pretend that nothing ever happened?"

"Whatever. Let's not talk about it anymore. Shut off the lights. I'll put in the movie." The two girls then snuggled under Massie's 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and watched Roman Holiday.

Meanwhile, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen spoke with each other on three-way.

"I know! And what was up with the sexy eyes Plovert kept sending you, Dyl?"

"I don't know. Was he, like, trying to seduce me in the cafeteria or something?" Dylan inquired.

Kristen cracked up on the other line. "And what about that companionship crap Derrington was spewing at us?"

"Ehmagawd. It was, like, come awn. I mean, we're no regular Einsteins, but we're nawt gullible." Alicia said annoyed.

"So are we going to Med Manor Friday night or nawt?"Dylan wondered out loud.

"I dunno. I kind of want to, but I hate that I want to." Kristen confessed.

"Me too." Alicia and Dylan both said.

"Who knows if Mass or Claire will go for it? Even if we want to go, it wouldn't be right to put our friends in that situation. I don't want to go because I want Kemp back. I just want to make him squirm a little and then move awn with my life."Kristen reasoned.

"Ah-greed."Alicia put in.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

The next morning in the Range Rover was silent. Massie noticed that the PC all seemed to be thinking deeply about something. They all had a glazed over look in their eyes as if their train of thought were miles away.

"Am I missing something here or did you all just decide to smoke a blunt this morning without me?" Massie joked.

Isaac's neck snapped back to look at the PC so quickly it could have given him whiplash. "Relax, Isaac," Massie giggled ", no one is high back here."

This seemed to snap the PC back to attention. "Oh. Sorry." They all muttered under their breath before looking at Massie expectantly.

"What is up with you guys?" She asked more serious this time.

Alicia sighed and answered. "I was just thinking about Josh's party. Are we going to that?"

"Hell yeah." Massie said like it was obvious. "Who else is gonna make Derrington realize how much of an asshole he is and take his ego down a notch? They think they can just waltz back into our lives and expect us to take their toe-dally exaggerated self-opinions lying down? Nuh-uh, ladies!"

The PC all sighed in relief that their alpha felt the same way. The reason that they were a clique wasn't only because they were all pretty; it was because the experience of being in a group of girls that realized their self-worth and appreciated the powers of being a female as much as they did made them proud of themselves. They knew that in a man's world, guys were never going to realize how special a girl was unless she forced him to. After all, behind every great man was an even greater woman.

The Range Rover stopped in front of DA and the girls stepped out. It was getting chillier outside so there were less people than usual, but the PC saw Olivia Ryan roll her eyes at them as they passed her and her wannabees before whispering something to Heather Lintmoore. Olivia and Alicia used to be friends until she found out that Olivia told Josh that Alicia flirted with some guy at the country club while they were dating. Josh was angry at her for days before he let her tell her side of the story. After her and Josh made up, a picture of a bruised and swollen faced Olivia a day after her nose job mysteriously leaked around the school.

Massie stopped suddenly and walked about two steps over in the direction where Olivia sat at a bench.

"Hey Olivia," She called sweetly to the doe-eyed blonde a few feet away, "was that you I saw in that yellow wrap jersey dress walking by my house yesterday?"

Olivia narrowed her eyes, familiar with Massie's antics, before answering with a clipped, "No. I have a driver. I don't walk anywhere."

"Oh. Well." Massie said with an angelic grin. "Silly me. It must have been a school bus or something."

Loud guffaws and gasps rang around them. Olivia's face went white. "You bitch!"

"It's not my fault." Massie goaded "It was an honest mistake. Maybe you shouldn't use a driver so often anymore. You need the walk." With that, she turned around and resumed walking with her now, grinning best friends towards the entrance.

"Next time you go around telling people me and my friends have an eating disorder, make sure I can't trace it back to you!" She called without turning around and entering the school.

That morning after Alicia did morning announcements with the senior class president, Rafi Levy, she headed down to the auditorium for one of her favorite classes, Conflict Resolution. This was one of the few classes she had with the rest of the PC and basically everyone was supposed to sit in a circle and talk about "feelings" and discuss any issues with their classmates. In reality, everyone talked with their friends and joked around. Unfortunately, nearly half of the 10th grade class signed up for it, including Josh and his friends.

She met up with the PC on the stairwell on the way there. They walked into the auditorium where everyone was already in a chair jabbering loudly. The teacher, Mr. Magro, sat and talked with a few overattentive students in the center of the circle. They sat at the back nearest to the door and turned their chairs toward each other.

"Okay. I brought magazines and Ipads for everyone so we can do some online shopping. We need Halloween costumes and dresses for Josh's party." Massie said excitedly.

"Are we doing group costumes this year?" Kristen asked.

"I think that would be cool."Dylan said. "But we'd need something perfectly fitting for all our personalities."

"How about Greek goddesses?" Alicia asked. "They're beautiful and powerful like all of us."

"But will anyone get it?" Massie inquired. "I mean we know a bunch of numskulls like Duh-livia."

"How about…." Claire hesitated, "devils?"

It was quiet for a moment before Massie spoke up. "We _are_ kinda evil."

"And you can look hot as a devil."Alicia offered.

"And my hair's already red."Dylan joked.

"I think we got it, guys." Kristen smiled. "We don't even need any cheap looking costumes. All we need is something sexy and red."

"And I can custom order us some devil horns at Swarovski. Ehma-YAY!" Massie airclapped. "Let's start looking." She handed each girl an Ipad and they each began looking for a red ensemble. After twenty minutes, each girl found something and had ordered it to be shipped within the next 24 hours to the Block estate. With a quick 5 minute phone call, she had a meeting with BB Rhimes Friday, to pick up their horns.

"Now," she began "about what to wear to Josh's party-"

"So you guys are coming to Josh's party?" Kemp asked as he magically appeared behind Kristen with Derrick, Chris, Josh, and Cam not far behind him. They sat in the row in front of them and turned their chairs around to face the PC.

Each girl turned the Ipad over on their laps blocking the screen and sat up straighter.

"Yes." Claire answered.

"So tell us, Block? What are you girls planning to wear? Please feel free to continue." Derrick said with a cheeky smile.

"Oh nonono," Massie purred with a wag of her pointer finger, "It's a surprise. And besides, I have no idea what we're wearing. We'll figure it out as soon as you kindly go back to wherever it is you came from. "

"Online shopping," Alicia whispered tauntingly while gesturing towards the Ipad, "a blessing and a curse."

"Oh, ladies. You can always shop later. Or not. You all have enough clothes combined to dress every girl in this school. I'm sure you'll look gorgeous as ever in anything you put on. Let's talk." Josh said casually.

Massie sighed before collecting the Ipads and putting them inside her large Chanel carrier bag. "Okay." She said when she was done. "Talk."

"Word on the street is that you five made Olivia Ryan cry this morning in front of everyone. Way harsh." Cam started.

"Olivia Ryan should learn how to keep her mouth shut and grow a pair." Dylan voiced with no remorse.

"And besides," Claire spoke with a curious look on her face, "why is it any of your concern what happens to Olivia Ryan?"

"I don't know if you heard," Chris answered, "but my father is marrying Olivia Ryan's mother next month. She'll be my step-sister. My father expects me to look out for her. That's why I'm a little annoyed that I received a phone call from him just a minute ago asking me why I didn't do anything when my friends humiliated her in front of the whole school."

"Didn't you guys hook up last year?" Alicia asked with a look of slight disgust. Chris didn't answer. "What did you say to her and why?" he asked instead.

"Your father must not know you very well." Dylan answered. "He seems to think we're friends."

"I always knew you guys could be mean, but something's changed. Why do you do this to people?" Kemp asked.

"You don't know anything about what happened this morning." Kristen said roughly. "You weren't there. You don't know the things that have happened between us and Olivia Ryan and you don't know **us **so don't pretend to act like we're changing right before your eyes or something. If you want to know what Massie said to Olivia, ask Olivia, and then I want you to ask her exactly _why_ Massie said it. She knows why we don't like her and vice versa. End. of. story."

The guys seemed shocked by Kristen's outburst. Next to Claire, she was the sweetest of the PC. The PC were a little shocked too, but they agreed wholeheartedly with what she said.

"What's up with you guys?" Cam whispered. "You used to be so fun. We always knew you all had a temper and we even loved you for it, but this is different. I just don't get you anymore."

"Yeah, well that's what happens after you haven't spoken in a year and a half. Did you come here to tell us how malicious we are and uninvite us to your party because that's just fine. We won't be there." Massie resolved.

"No." Josh protested. "We still want you to come. We came over here to ask for you guys to clear things up with Olivia as a favor to keep Chris out of trouble."

The PC thought this was hilarious and burst into soft laughter.

"A favor? You guys want a _favor_ from us? Well since we're exchanging favors, here's one Chris," Massie said slowly as her voice started to rise angrily, "tell your fucking _step-sister_ to stop telling people that we puke our guts out after every meal! Or how about tell her that I know that she slept with Landon last year when we were dating! If the bitch decides to cross me like that then she better be prepared for what I dish back cause I can promise you, it'll be ten times worse! "

"Mass, calm down." Claire soothed as people started to turn their attention over to the group in the back. "Breathe, babydoll." She whispered as she pushed the girl's chestnut curls out of her face. For a second there, the old Massie Block made an appearance, and that Massie would ruin her enemies without a second thought about consequences.

The boys all seemed frozen by her outburst. The conversation had taken a complete 180 and had gotten way more serious than they expected.

"Is there a problem back there?" Mr. Magro asked standing up.

"No, Mr. Magro. My friend just heard some upsetting news, but she's okay now." Dylan said trying to clear things up quickly.

"Let's talk about it then. I'd like all of you to come and sit here in the center of the room." He asked eager to show off his counseling skills. "Come on." He urged as none of them moved. Slowly the boys stood up and went to center of the room with the PC behind them. For once, the classroom was silent.

"You'll feel much better when this is done." He assured them. "Now, what is the problem?"

No one said anything. Massie, who had calmed down, as soon as Claire spoke, tried to come up with a lie immediately and she could see her friends and the guys doing the same as the wheels turned in their heads.

"Okay then," Mr. Magro tried again, "who had the little outburst I heard back there?"

"I did." Massie answered after a slight hesitation.

"What did you hear that upset you, Massie?" He questioned with his beady gray eyes boring into hers. "You sounded very angry."

"Um…well…"she began helplessly.

"She was yelling at me." Derrick cut in. "I told her…she had….gained a few pounds. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

"I see." Mr. Magro answered neutrally. "So, Massie, you felt hurt that he would point that out without taking your feelings into consideration?"

"Y-Yes."She answered speedily. _Gawd this was soooo embarrassing_.

"Do you agree that he usually says things without thinking about them first?"

Her eyes briefly flickered over to Derrick's large brown ones before answering. "Yes."

"And you wish that he did. Am I right?"

"Exactly right." She answered as she started to play along more.

"Okay. Here is a lesson to all the girls in the room, no offense guys. Your boyfriend will say hurtful things, but usually not to hurt you. Guys are more impulsive, so if they think something, they will most likely say it. Massie, your boyfriend probably didn't mean it either, did you Derrick?" He said as he looked over at the now grinning blonde haired teenage boy.

"No, Mass. I didn't mean it, _sweetheart_. I like the new weight. It's more for me to hold on to." He said with a faux sincerity. Josh, Kemp, Cam, and, Chris hooted with loud laughter.

Massie was caught off guard. She couldn't buh-lieve this was happening. Her classmates now thought that she had gained weight. And that she had flipped out on her **boyfriend**, Derrick _flipping_ Harrington, when he pointed it out. The PC were all as shocked as she was at how much this situation had gotten out of hand. Were people assuming they were _all_ dating?

"This brings out another issue. Girls you are beautiful just the way you are. You don't need to be as skinny as a twig for a boy to look at you. Here was a prime example."

"I have to go to the bathroom." Massie said suddenly standing up not being able to hear another word. "Girls?" She gestured for them to follow her. Their high heels noisily clacked as they speed walked out.

"Girls! You'll need a bathroom pass. I-**SLAM**!" The doors shut behind the girls as they were already gone.

In the bathroom, Massie was having a temper tantrum. "They're back in our lives for _three_ days! Three! And I'm already acting like a crazy person!"

The PC paced back and forth wondering how to do damage control without making Mr. Magro know the whole thing was a lie.

"When you calm down, just go back in there and tell everyone that you guys aren't dating and that Derrick was just joking."

As the PC walked back into the auditorium, Derrick was telling everyone detailed stories about countless times he was inconsiderate, but how Massie always forgave him in the end.

Massie laughed loudly causing everyone's attention to avert to her. "Derrick's so funny. We aren't actually dating. We're just old….friends and….he was trying to joke with me about my weight and I..uh..took it the wrong way. I have no problem with my weight. I'm fine with body. Really. Thanks so much Mr. Magro." The counselor looked proud of himself. "You can stop with the stories now Derrick. Me and you are fine." She said eyeballing him to try and get him to agree, but something in his face had changed.

All of a sudden he stood up. "No we're not. You hate me. All of your friends hate me and my friends and you say things that you know will hurt us without caring." Derrick said with a surprisingly somber expression. The tension in the air was back and the room quieted down again. _Why _was Derrick airing all their dirty laundry and how much_ longer _was this stupid class? The PC wanted out.

"Like what, Derrick? What have any of us said that really hurt you?" Dylan asked. Now she was just plain mad.

Chris stood up then and glared. "You, for one, just said something a little while ago. What was it? Oh yeah 'You said my father must not know me very well if he thought we were friends!' Well, excuse me, because I thought we _were_!"

"Since _when?_!" Claire hollered. "I don't know where you guys have been, but before Monday, we didn't look at each other and we sure as heck didn't speak to each other!"

"Well you guys are doing an amazing job at trying to change that. We're at least trying here!" Josh erupted. "You can't say one decent sentence to any of us!"

"Well maybe we don't want to!" Alicia and Massie said in unison. Alicia continued. "We _**know**_ how you are! It's all smiles and jokes with Dr. Jekyll until Mr. Hyde makes an appearance and all of a sudden you're screaming in my face telling me how immature _I_ am and how _I'm_ at fault for everything that's wrong with us." She said addressing Josh at the end.

"Things are always complicated with you guys! As great as the good times are, the bad times are worse!" Kemp said shouting.

"Then why even bother, huh?" Massie said with a calm voice. She stood next to Kristen whose eyes were getting glassy with tears. "If it's like you say it is, then it's not worth it. Why even bother then?"

Derrick opened his mouth to answer. "Because- **Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring**!" The bell that signaled class was over cut him off. Everyone stayed where they were and waited for Derrick to finish his sentence, but he never did. "Let's go guys." He whispered and they followed him out the door. The rest of the class followed them out, glancing back at the PC who didn't dare move from their spots. Mr. Magro sat in his chair as if he had no idea what had just concurred.


	4. Chapter 4

*I don't own the Clique series*

**Per your request, ladies, I present you a new chapter. Keep reviewing. They bring a smile on my face. XOXO**

Chapter 4

The whole school had heard about the blowout between the PC and five guys on the soccer team in Conflict Resolution. Most were confused. As it turns out, people who hadn't graduated from BOCD had no idea about their history. The majority of those people had been shocked to realize that though they could be found hanging out with the same people, no one had actually ever witnessed these two distinctly popular groups exchange words before this week. The whole fight had been filmed on a camera phone and mass-texted to everyone and now people were dying to see what would happen next.

It was Friday, the day of Josh Hotz's party, and Kristen sat in 6th period Geometry with Alicia and Claire. Kristen and her friends were miserable. They acted as if nothing was wrong at school and even when they were together alone, no one dared to mention it, not even Massie. Kristen wondered if they were wrong to be angry. _NO_. Her gut that sounded a lot like Massie told her. She tried to remember the day she and Kemp broke up.

_She had come by the soccer field that the Sirens and Tomahawks shared to put up signs for a soccer training camp for any potential Sirens thinking of trying out next year. She would miss her spot as Captain. As she made her way around the athletic building bulletin boards and stapled signs up, she saw two people sitting out on the benches. The guy had brown highlighted hair like Kemp. She could only see the back of his head as he was facing the girl. She had shoulder length black hair with blunt bangs and a platinum blonde streak on the left side. She laughed so loudly that Kristen could hear her high-pitched giggles from where she stood. Kristen stapled the last sheet she had in her hand and went to put the stapler back inside the building. After leaving it on a random desk, she came back outside and saw that the girl and guy were headed in her direction. She knew that walk. It was definitely her boyfriend. Who was the girl?_

"_Kemp!" She called loudly enough for him to hear her. Both he and the girl looked up and he shielded his eyes from the sun to see who was calling him. As he got closer and realized who it was he gave a slight wave and a tiny smile. _

"_Hey, Kris. What are you doing here?" He asked pulling her into a hug. After she explained the training camp sheets, he introduced her. "Kim, this is Kristen. Kristen, this is Kim." The girl smiled at her shyly with pretty small pink lips. "It's nice to finally meet a friend of Kemp's." She said showing Kristen her tiny white teeth._

"_I guess I should say the same. Um, I'm his girlfriend, by the way." She said trying not to make it sound bratty. I'm guessing this is a new friend of Kemp's if she doesn't know about me. Kristen concluded._

"_Oh."The girl intoned. "He didn't tell me he had one."_

_Kemp sensed that this was an awkward place to start a conversation so he changed the subject. "Kim is a family friend. She's visiting Westchester this week with her family and I was showing her where I spend most of my time."_

"_Yeah."Kim added. "For the six months we've been talking on the phone, he spoke about soccer half of the time." Six months. She and Kemp had been back on again for six months. How had her name never come up in conversation?_

_Kristen had feigned interest in whatever Kim was talking about after that until Kim had finally told Kemp she was going to meet up with her mom for lunch. When Kemp walked her home that afternoon with his arm around her, Kristen couldn't help but ask._

"_Kemp?" She asked softly. "Mmmmh?" He murmured back watching two guys skateboard on a rail as they passed them by._

"_I don't want to seem petty. Don't be mad." He looked down at her."But were you ever gonna tell her you had a girlfriend? I mean, when I talk to a guy you don't know regularly, I'll let him know that I'm taken." Kemp sighed and removed his arm from around her. "Don't do this." He pleaded._

"_Don't do what?" She asked grabbing his hand immediately. _

"_This."He growled. "Finding something to be mad about."_

"_I'm not mad," She insisted, "I just found it odd and I'm asking. If I were her, I know I'd be into you if I thought you were single."_

"_Are you saying I lead her on or something?"_

"_No! Now __**you're**__ finding something to be mad about. You're a flirt, Kemp. I don't even think you notice that you do it. I'm not the jealous type. I just wanted to know if girls like Kim realize how meaningless it is." _

"_This conversation is meaningless." He sneered._

"_Don't be an ass. It was a simple question and the fact that you're getting so defensive is making me start to speculate!"_

"_Speculate what? I'm with you, Kristen. I don't go around telling the whole world about it, but it doesn't change the fact that I am."_

"_That's not what I mean. I'm not asking you to do that. I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm just telling you what's been on my mind since that girl told me that she had no idea I existed."_

"_You're telling me this to make me feel guilty, but I don't. I did nothing wrong. Honestly, all those times I talked to Kim, you weren't even on my mind."_

_Kristen dropped his hand. "Kris, I didn't mean-" _

"_Just…..don't, okay?" She cut him off._

_Kemp walked her back to the condo complex where she lived in silence._

"_Let's not do this again, okay?"She spoke lightly._

"_Yeah. Let's just forget about this dumb argument and-"_

"_Kemp. No. Let's not do this again. I don't think we should put ourselves through this all over again." She said carefully._

_It was deadly silent for a long moment and then he spoke in a low sneer staring her right in the eyes. "You're a real heartless bitch, you know that? You've been, like, the biggest waste of time. I knew girls like you and your friends were trouble. You're beautiful, but you're completely empty. You're a perfectly wrapped up pretty package with nothing inside. You're a five course fucking meal that no one can swallow. I hope you regret this tomorrow and then realize it's too late because guess what, I'll be hooking up with Kim. God help the next guy who has to put up with you." With each deliberately hurtful sentence, she visibly flinched, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Not in front of him. When he walked away, she started to shake and ran inside to her bedroom. That afternoon, she had her first panic attack._

Kristen definitely had a reason to be mad and from the stories her friends told her, they all did. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was sleeping with his cheek flat against the desk with his head facing away from her. She had bumped into him on her way out her coaches' office after turning the form for her physical in and they had both looked at each other and walked away as if nothing had happened. The PC and the former Tomahawks had gone back to not speaking, but the damage had already been done. Kristen was no longer oblivious to their presence. She could feel them as she brushed by them in the hallway or sat near one of them in class. The people around them, including the well-informed teachers, seemed to be expecting something else to go down smack in the middle of class. Kristen could tell by the watchful, suspicious eyes she got every time she entered a classroom. She and the PC had eaten lunch quietly while people around them chattered regularly, glancing in their direction every few minutes. The boys were nowhere to be seen.

The PC was a little relieved that they could now resume their plans for the sleepover. They were positive that after what happened Wednesday, they were no longer welcome at Josh's party. As the bell signaled that the last class of the day was over, Kristen grabbed her books and walked out with her two friends.

"Mass says that our costumes came in last night. She was free last period so she went to go pick up the horns. She should be waiting outside with Isaac by now." Claire informed them.

"Ooooh goody," Alicia singsonged, "I can't wait to show you guys what I picked out!"

"I'm not. Who knows if it'll fit right?" Kristen stressed. "Online shopping is a double edged sword."

The girls stopped at the Science wing after a quick stop at their lockers to pick up Dylan. They could see that she was begging Mr. Forester for a B+. Her signature red fiery curls bounced as she gestured wildly with a charm that was almost virginal. Mr. Forester smiled resignedly and seemed to offer her a compromise. She beamed happily and appeared to promise him something. He nodded and waved her away. As he went back into the classroom, Dylan's face seemed to change completely. She looked smug. When she saw her friends standing at the end of the hallway, she strode towards them in Sergio Rossi lizard peep-toe pumps. Together, they headed out the door.

"Someone just worked their magic." Claire congratulated.

"I know, but after the week I had, something was bound to actually go right." Dylan said.

"You mean the week _we_ had." Alicia corrected. "But our costumes are in. I'm heading straight over to the Blocks now. It's not like I need anything at home. What about you guys? Does Isaac need to take you guys home?"

"No, not me. I have a spare pair of PJ's there anyway." Dylan shrugged.

"Same." Kristen agreed.

"I live yards away so it doesn't really matter." Claire pointed out.

"Get in the car!" Massie shouted out the window of the Range Rover. They did as she said and headed off to the Block Estate.

The PC was sitting in Massie's room, a few hours later, cleaning up the various boxes from Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales, Barney's, and Neiman Marcus. Red articles of clothing were everywhere and stood out shockingly against Massie's white carpeting and furniture. Suddenly, a text lit up Massie's Iphone.

'What r u wearing 2 Josh's party? U guys r gonna b there right?' ~Skye

"Ehmagawd. Skye just texted me to ask if we're going to Josh's party." Massie scoffed. "She knows we're not. She just wants me to say it so she can ask why."

"Or she thinks she's adding salt to our wounds." Kristen said lying across the plush carpet.

"Too bad for her." Dylan stated dryly. "It's not a wound anymore. It's an ugly scar covered up with a Fendi pashmina."

Claire smiled at her friend's ability to be fashionable even on a sore subject. "What will you tell her?" she asked Massie.

"I won't tell her anything. It's nobody's business. I don't want it to be anybody's business. Not even mine." She answered with finality.

'No. Have fun tho.' she texted back.

"Now that that's over with, let's finish cleaning up my room. We'll start the Halloween Horror Movie Marathon a.s.a.p. I'll close the curtains to get it dark in here. Kuh-laire, you can go get the snacks downstairs. Dyl, you've got the movies. Leesh, organize the sleeping bags. Kris, you just lie there and look pretty." She joked. The girls laughed and went to do what she asked.

Hours later, the PC was snuggled up in sleeping bags on the floor while watching SAW III. It was almost midnight. The surround sound system gave the illusion that they were in a movie theater. The girls were all makeup free with their hair twisted up into French braids and neat buns. They covered their eyes as they watched a particularly gory scene. Kristen who refused to look away was whimpering. A loud knock on Massie's door made them all scream.

"GO AWAY, TODD!" Claire shouted furiously.

"Pause your scary movie and open the door."Claire's little brother commanded slightly muffled through the door. "I snuck your friends in through the back door. You all owe me five bucks each."

"What are you talking about?" Claire asked putting the movie on pause. She stood up and flicked on the light before heading to the door. The rest of the PC stayed where they were; annoyed by what they were sure was one of Todd Lyons' dumb pranks.

Claire opened the door and there stood her eleven year old brother with Josh, Cam, Chris, Derrick, and Kemp. She stood there in navy cotton Victoria's Secret pajamas and stared at them with wide blue eyes.

"If they're out here any longer, you guys might get caught, so stop gaping and let them in already." Todd warned.

"Kuh-laire, what's taking you so long?" Massie called. The room was so large that the other girls had no view of the door from where they sat.

"Take off your shoes. You'll ruin the carpet." Claire ordered and opened the door wider. The guys quickly did as she said and came inside.

"I better get a dollar for every minute they stay past 2 AM in exchange for me not telling mom and dad about this." Todd added. Claire glared and firmly shut the door. The boys stood there with their shoes in their hands looking lost as to what to do with themselves.

"Drop them in that Neiman Marcus box in the corner." She instructed softly. After they did what she said, she motioned for them to follow. As she walked farther into the room and came around the wall, Claire spoke up. "Hey. We have visitors." Seconds later, the boys appeared. The PC all sat up quickly in surprise. They were each individually panicking over their pale undone faces, but then realized it didn't matter. There was no one that needed impressing.

"Hey."Derrick greeted. "We noticed that you guys weren't at the party." The boys looked around Massie's room, taking in the sleeping bags, the scary DVDs, Claire's bowl of sour candy, and the overall "whiteness" of everything.

After a silent moment of shock, someone finally said something.

"You guys came all the way over here after your party to tell us you noticed we weren't there." Dylan stated incredulously.

"Actually the party is still going on," Chris replied, "we just didn't feel like sticking around."

"Why?" Alicia questioned. "Did the music suck or something?"

"No. Everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time actually, a lot of dancing." Josh spoke up. "We just weren't feeling up to it."

"You left your own party and came here?" Kristen laughed with disbelief. "Why?"

Derrick shrugged and sat down on the carpet. The others followed. Claire still stood there with her arms crossed.

"Is this the dead body you needed to take care of?"Kemp asked motioning towards the flat screen.

"No. We buried him yesterday." Claire answered playing along, walking over to turn off the light before returning to her sleeping bag. Cam grabbed her bowl of gummies and started eating them. "At the country club golf course."

Massie locked eyes with Derrick in the dark as Alicia pressed play and the movie resumed. He gave her a small smile that she returned before turning her attention back to the movie. She didn't really get what was happening, but she just didn't feel like fighting.

The PC went back to covering their eyes at the gory parts, except this time they would also laugh because Chris and Kemp made corny jokes that made everything seem less scary. When it was over, they watched the Strangers. Throughout the movie, they were all creeped out. Towards the ending, every one of them was screaming and Cam was shushing them all to quiet down before they were caught. It was almost 3 AM by the time that it was over. Claire knew that she owed her brother at least 45 dollars, but she didn't care. She had a great time.

"Happy Halloween, guys." Chris chortled.

"You guys have to go now." Massie insisted. "We have to sleep. We have Skye's party tonight, remember?"

"Ugh," Josh groaned face down on the carpet, "another party. Whose idea was it to throw mine the night before, anyway?"

"Yours." The guys all said in unison.

"What are you girls coming as?" Kemp asked.

"It's a surprise." Massie and Derrick answered at the same time. She looked at him in surprise.

"What, Block? It's not like you haven't said it before."

"Okay whatever." She replied. "Come on. Get on your shoes. We have to get you guys' past the housekeepers' bedroom, so you guys can't make a single sound. Elsa hears everything."

The PC and the boys crept out of Massie's bedroom. They tip toed down the hallway until they reached the stairs.

"Now you guys have to be especially quiet." Massie whispered. "There's an echo downstairs so any little noise can be heard around the house." The boys nodded nervously and inched down the stairs and into the kitchen. Alicia unlocked the glass doors and slid them open gently. The night breeze made the girls shiver in their tiny sleepwear.

"I guess we'll see you guys tonight then." Josh said awkwardly. The whole night, everyone managed to avoid the elephant in the room; the fact that they were in a semi-argument. Now, it seemed to be inevitable to notice.

"Yeah. Thanks for not kicking us out of your sleepover." Cam said addressing Massie. "I had a way better time here than I would have had if we stayed at the party." Massie noticed his eyes flick to Claire's bare legs for a split second.

Massie blinked before responding. "I don't know what possessed you guys to come here and think that it was okay. Anyway…thanks for the company I guess. But for the love of God, call first next time." She shoved them all outside into her backyard without another word and slid the door closed locking it. She looked up to see Derrington smiling at her intently before waving and stumbling away. Kemp, Chris, Josh, and Cam all made funny faces in the window before following that Dylan and Claire laughed at. Alicia and Kristen gave shy smiles before turning away.

As they finally walked back upstairs and entered Massie's room, the PC looked at each other silently asking each other the same question. What just happened? No one could say anything though, and they all were very tired. So without a mention to the events of that night, they slumped into their sleeping bags and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

***I do not own the Clique series.***

**Last chapter was sort of a filler, if you couldn't already tell. I just want to show the relationship progressing. I'm going to be shocking you guys pretty soon! I love your reviews btw. You guys are toe-dally ah-mazing! Enjoy. XOXO**

Chapter 5

"I did not." The amber eyed alpha protested.

"YES YOU DID!" The PC urged.

"You said 'For the love of God, call next time.' Next time. Next time, Mass, really? Are we all of a sudden planning co-ed sleepovers with our ex-boyfriends now?" Alicia hissed.

"No!" Massie hollered. "I don't even know why that came out of my mouth. I was just tired I couldn't think straight cause Derrington was giving me these irritatingly cute smiles."

"You too?" Dylan cried. "Chris kept looking at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention. I swear my heart was beating loud enough for him to hear."

"When I asked Mass to borrow some makeup for my costume tonight, Cam told me that we were I'm even prettier without it. I mean what do you say to that? Thank you?" Claire pondered.

"I don't get what game they're playing here." Massie admitted.

"Last night reminded me of all those times we all used to hang out together." Alicia stated.

"I think that's what they wanted." Kristen hinted softly. She looked somber. "They want us to remember how things used to be. It goes both ways though. I remember watching movies together and having a great time, but I also remember Dylan crying her eyes out after Chris told her he didn't have feelings for her anymore. I remember Alicia sitting in the freezing cold during Josh's soccer games, and looking desperately in the audience for him right before her dance recitals knowing he wasn't there. I remember Cam being too stoned out of his mind to be there at the hospital when Claire got hit by a car. I remember Massie, Ms. Queen Bee herself, letting Derrick yell at her and call her names when he was pissed off and needed to take his anger out on someone. I remember Kemp flirting endlessly with beautiful girls knowing it made me feel insecure, and me letting it slide because I was so madly in love with him." Kristen watched each PC member's face turn to stone as they listened to her speak.

"You're right." Massie whispered. "Completely 100% right. We've been through way too much to end up here again. I was actually contemplating our actions for a second. It's gonna take a lot more than some jokes over scary movies for us to forgive them."

Skye Hamilton was throwing her Halloween Bash at a lounge owned by her grandfather, Bruce Hamilton. There was a rumor that Skye was allowed to serve alcohol all night as long as she kept everyone in line. Massie had snickered when she heard that. How is one skinny little blonde going to keep 200 drunk teenagers in line? The Range Rover stopped outside of the lounge and Massie and the PC stepped out hearing the thumping music inside.

"Go home and get some rest Isaac. We'll call a town car to pick us up when it's over." Massie assured sweetly. To be honest, she didn't know how trashed she and her friends would be at the end of the night and she was sure that Isaac would notice and alert her parents.

The PC all adjusted their "costumes." Massie wore a dark blood red Nanette Lepore halter dress. Alicia wore a strapless dress in fire engine red by Giambattista Valli. Dylan wore a sleeveless jumpsuit in wine red by Derecuny. Kristen wore a tiny candy apple red romper by Miss Sixty. Claire wore black high wasted micro shorts paired with a tight crimson red top with a geometric cutout by Betsey Johnson. Together, the PC suffered in 5 inch black lace pumps. Earlier that night Massie has told them that beauty was pain. Massie looked at her friends' recently blown out manes of hair under their crystal-embedded red horns and smiled. They looked hawt!

"Okay ladies let's go." She grinned happily.

After walking through the entrance, the girls strutted into the flashing lights and crazy dancing of the party. A large group of senior guys with glasses of "bloody" margaritas chatting by the doors cheered when they saw the PC come in. Claire blushed while her friends stared blankly at them.

"Hello ladies. You look just good enough to eat." One of them, Tristan Greene, howled. The boys around him burst into raucous laughter.

"If this is what it's like in hell, I have to start sinning more." Another, Luke Van der Voort, joked.

"Let us through gentlemen." Massie responded unimpressed.

"As you wish." Luke bowed jokingly spilling his drink a little before moving out of the way. "Guys, make room for the ladies in red." Slowly the group parted. The girls hooked arms and smiled wanly before breezing through. They made their way to the farthest wall in the corner to the white leather sofas where Skye sat.

"Girls! You look amazing." She screeched loudly. She was obviously a little tipsy. Skye was dressed as a cave girl. Missy Cambridge, Skye's beta, was dressed as what they assumed was a pop star. Becca Brie and Leslie Lynn Rubin had paired up together in mermaid costumes and Heidi Sprout was a pony-tailed bad postured French maid.

The PC each gave Skye and her clique two pecks on their bronzed cheeks. They all smelt profusely of tequila.

"Help yourselves to drinks. The bar is full. My grandfather paid off the bartenders a hefty amount to serve us. Isn't that just wonderful?" She shouted with glossy eyes over the thumping music.

"Totally." Claire answered her trying to be polite. Massie waved goodbye quickly and led the PC over to the bar.

Massie ordered an Alice in Nightmareland on the rocks for all the girls.

"To a great night filled with drinks and dancing." She toasted. They clinked their glasses and tossed back their shots. Dylan coughed up a fit and Massie laughed at her friend's reaction.

"Woooooo!" Alicia and Kristen cheered.

The girls filed one by one onto the dance floor and started to dance to B.o.b's "Magic" featuring Rivers Cuomo. Each girl swayed their bony hips carelessly without caring who was watching, for once. On the dance floor, everyone was the same. The PC danced for the next several songs without stopping. As Kristen grinded jokingly on Massie to Mike Posner's "Cooler than me", she caught a glimpse of Kemp watching her dance with an entraced grin on his face. She turned around quickly before he noticed that she saw him and moved deeper into the crowd.

As the song changed again to a fast club song, Massie gestured for the girls to grab a guy to dance with. Massie picked Warren Aspeth, a junior alpha and one of Massie's beloved guy friends. As she watched her friends all pick seniors, she laughed giddily. She could see her friends letting loose on the dance floor. Their faces lit up and that made Massie happy. She danced closely to Warren, but she tried to keep the sexiness limited. He seemed to understand and made jokes in her ear. Warren was known for being hilarious. As she cracked up, she kept with the beat of the music. When the song was over, she kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for the dance. The rest of the PC immediately ditched their dance partners and were back at the bar waiting for her. Massie ordered a Transylvania iced tea and went to her friends.

"I'm having an awesome time. It feels good to be carefree." Claire was saying.

"I know! A senior just told me I was the hottest girl in the room! So what if he was hammered and just trying to get into my pants?" Dylan exclaimed half-jokingly.

"Girls, I just realized that none of us brought our phones." Alicia voiced. "We have to borrow someone's phone to get a town car or hitch a ride."

"I don't think we should trust anyone here to drive." Kristen said eyeing the beers a few sophomore boys were chugging. "The town car would be best I think."

"Okay. Go sit down on those couches over there and I'll grab my drink." Massie piped up. They nodded and walked away.

"Ms. I have the Transylvania iced tea you ordered." A voice spoke up behind her. She turned around to see Derrington.

"Thank you." She muttered grabbing it and turning around to leave.

"Block!" He called following her. "Let's talk."

"Sorry, don't have time. I've got to go meet up with my friends." She responded completely unapologetic.

"Could you just stop?" He grabbed her arm and turned her around to look at him. She finally noticed his costume, a prisoner. The stripes made her dizzy.

"You stop, Derrick!" She commanded. "I'm having a great night so far. I don't need all of this overwhelming drag-me-down conversation."

"I just want us to be okay, alright?" He pleaded. "I'm not asking for anything, but for us to be able to talk to each other again without fighting."

Massie stood there feeling worn out all of a sudden. "Fine. Come sit with me." She was sure that he would have anyway. She was only marginally surprised to see Kemp, Cam, Chris, and Josh sitting next to her morose looking friends. Kemp was dressed as greaser, Cam was dressed as a knight, Chris was dressed as a soldier, and Josh as a pirate. The truth was, after Kristen had reminded them of how things used to be, the barriers were completely back up again.

"What is that?" Alicia asked as she appeared. "I need a drink."

Massie sipped a bit of it before handing it over to her and sitting down. She was going to end this once and for all. Alicia quickly finished the whole glass. Derrick sat down beside Massie.

"So boys," Massie started crossing her legs and leaning forward, "what are you not getting? We tried to shake you off, but you're so _darn_ persistent. So tell us, why is it that we keep ending up back here? Haven't we established that we're completely dysfunctional in front of **everyone** we know? You don't seem to comprehend that since the 8th grade, we've wanted _nothing_ to do with you. We can sit and reminisce all you like, but at the end of the day they are just memories. Derrick, I believe that you cared about me once, as I did you, and the same goes for my friends and their former significant others, but we are _nawt_ 13 years old anymore and _too_ much has happened for us to ever be the same. I would say that it's nothing personal only it is. Now, can you guys just accept the fact that this isn't going to work and leave it alone?" Massie slowly and clearly made known the thoughts and feelings of her and her friends. The PC looked satisfied with what she said and glanced around silently willing them to answer.

"No." Every single one of them answered.

Massie's face dropped. "Why not?" Kristen demanded to know. "Why won't you understand that you can't just become all buddy buddy like nothing ever happened?"

"Because it's not true." Kemp stressed. "The Pretty Committee has split up a whole bunch of times, but you always come back ten times stronger than before. It's time that we stop avoiding each other. Let's just get over what happened."

"Say what you want, but you girls are just like us." Chris informed them. "You're self-centered and conniving and you'll do whatever it takes to get what you want." Like Dylan and Massie, he never tried to sugarcoat things.

"Is this you trying to sweet talk us?" Claire asked disbelieving. "Cause if it is then you suck at it."

"No. I'm just pointing out our similar personalities. If anything, it makes us more perfect for each other."

"No. It doesn't." Dylan insisted. "It makes us defective."

"Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality." Cam countered. He would always quote some random writer or poet to make a point. Claire used to love when he did that. Not anymore. "It doesn't make us bad people. It's a good thing to not take no for an answer."

"Is this a joke to you?" Alicia exploded.

People standing around turned to look over at them.

"Let's go talk in the back." Massie ordered getting up. They walked to an empty hallway a little past the bar and walked into what looked like an office. Dylan shut the door behind them.

"Okay we get that you're upset," Derrick soothed, "but what do we have to do here? You say that you've changed since you were 13, but so have we. Speaking for myself, I know that I'm not the same guy I was when I was with you, Mass. I'm still nowhere near perfect, but I'm a better guy. We all are. There is only a limited amount of time before high school is over. We don't want to spend it cutting you out of our lives. Do you realize the only reason the guys and I are so close is because of you? We just used to be soccer teammates, barely acquaintances. Then the 5 of us actually had something in common besides soccer; you five. Out of all the guys who you could have picked, you chose _us_. Don't you see? When Massie and I dated, her friends became _my_ friends. I got to know all of you girls. I even started to get to know your boyfriends. Now, these guys are my_ best _friends. It was like fate. The 10 of us just fit."

It was silent as the PC took in everything that he said. They were internally debating their options. They could either continue to have this conversation on the off chance that these guys would give up, which seemed highly unlikely by their determined faces or… they could try. It couldn't hurt to have another group of alphas on your side. Or it could, if you guys used to date. But if it failed, then they would be proven right and they would never have to wonder what if. After a long moment, Kristen stepped forward gradually.

"Hi. I'm Kristen Gregory. It's nice to meet you." She decided. "I think we could be good friends."

The boys broke into wide grins and each stepped forward to give her a group hug. She turned around and looked at her friends. The remaining four stood completely still and looked at her. Kristen, who had just this afternoon reminded them exactly why they were angry in the first place, was willing to give them another chance. To hell with it, Dylan thought and stepped forward.

"Alright let's give it a shot." The red head shrugged tossing her thick hair behind her shoulder. She joined their circle.

Claire stepped up next. "I'm in." She walked slowly to the other side and looked back at the last two girls.

Alicia and Massie looked at each other. Massie had no idea what was going on. Alicia gave her alpha and best friend a small smile before taking a single step forward. Massie held her breath.

"Whatever. This is just a trial period." Alicia said with a roll of her eyes before completing the walk across the room.

Nine people stared at the one amber eyed brunette hopefully. Massie didn't even blink. She stood as stiff as a board. Her mind was blank. She didn't know if she was ready to just forget, but for once, Massie was going to have to follow her friends instead of the other way around. She let out a shaky shallow breath that she prayed none of them heard and uttered one word.

"Okay." She said casually.

The PC sighed relieved and the boys beamed all stepping over to group hug Massie. She rolled her eyes, hugging them back slightly before pushing them off.

"Let's get out of this room. It reeks of Cuban cigars." Alicia gagged.

Together, the new group of friends rejoined the party. The conversation was only moderately awkward at first. Soon, they were laughing and joking like it was normal. Massie had read that it was a sign of maturity to stay friends with your ex-boyfriend. When the music changed to Katy Perry's "Not Like The Movies" the PC squealed. The boys all looked surprised at their reactions.

"OMG. I love this song!" Kristen grinned. "Dance with me, Kemp." She grabbed his hand without waiting for an answer. He turned to look back at the table once before being dragged away. The rest of the PC looked expectantly at the others. The boys sighed and offered each girl a hand. Massie grabbed Derringtons's hand hesitantly and stood up. As they walked over to the dance floor, Massie freaked out in her head. The last time she had been this nervous was when she and Landon had gone on their first date.

Derrington stopped and looked at her before grabbing her waist lightly as she put her arms around his neck. Her forehead brushed against the bottom of his chin and she breathed in his scent. Hugo Boss. He wasn't wearing the Calvin Klein anymore. She wondered if it was because of her. _He just became your friend again minutes ago, Massie, don't get ahead of yourself. She warned. _

"You look great tonight, by the way." He voiced.

"I know." Massie replied without thinking about it. She looked up to see his reaction.

He chuckled softly. "At least that hasn't changed about you, Block. You still know you're a star."

She blushed and looked back down. "The costume suits me, doesn't it.?" She smiled changing the subject. "It's fitting."

"Nah. You're not evil, Block. You're _**a lot**_ of things, but I wouldn't say evil was one of them." Derrick assured.

"I'm…. aggressive then?" She questioned.

He laughed out loud then. "I guess you could say that."

They didn't speak after that. Massie laid her head on Derrington's shoulder and sang along softly to the words.

One hundred percent  
With every penny spent  
He'll be the one that  
Finishes your sentences…

The song was awfully romantic and that made Massie uncomfortable. She looked around for her friend's and found that they were all smiling and singing along blissfully while swaying uncaringly in their ex-boyfriends' arms. It didn't seem to cross their minds that this whole thing was very bizarre. Maybe she was thinking too much of it.

When the song finished, the group went back to the bar. This time Massie ordered five Transylvania iced teas for the PC. She asked the bartender to make them extra strong. Chris and Kemp tried something called the Dead Baby Boy that they loved. Cam stuck with beer. Josh and Derrington tried the surprisingly yummy looking Brain Hemorrhage.

After Dylan made everyone take a few more shots of Alice in Nightmareland, they were all on a happy buzz. The PC yanked the boys back on the dance floor and they danced and talked the rest of the night.

It was 3 am when Skye finally stopped the DJ.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming out here tonight," She slurred slightly while everyone whooped and cheered. Massie could see the bartenders shaking their heads at the absurdity at how many rich drunken underage kids there were. She hoped Grandpa Hamilton paid them enough to keep their mouths shut. "Well I hope you all had a great time," the crowd cheered louder, "and I hope you've all sorted out how to get home. At the door you will find your party favors, Godiva has provided us with $100,000 worth of chocolates. Take as many as you want. Good Night and Happy Halloweeeeeen!" She giggled before dropping the mic with a loud thump. She and her blonde friends scurried out without a second glance. Everyone else immediately started filing out through the front. Cam explained that the guys were going to walk back to his house since it was only a few blocks away, but that they would wait for the girls to get picked up before leaving.

"I need to borrow one of you guys' phones." Massie demanded quickly sobering up. "I need to call us a town car. My driver can't pick us up tonight." Claire moaned about a headache and put her head on Massie's shoulder. Massie put an arm around her and looked at them expectantly.

"Here's mine." Chris offered. She took his Iphone 3G and stopped. "Wait. Does anybody know the number for the town car service?" Everyone shook their heads and she groaned.

"I saw a phone book back in that office. Let's go see if the number is in there." Josh spoke up.

They all walked back to the now dark hallway and into the office. As Massie found the number and called to request a truck that could fit all five girls, Claire wandered off back out into the hallway. When Massie hung up and put the phone book back on the shelf, she looked around at everyone's post-party exhaustion before noticing Claire was gone.

"Kuh-laire, where are you?" She hollered. "If I'd known that you were such a lightweight I would have cut you off."

Suddenly Claire stumbled forward into the doorway looking alarmed.

"What? What's wrong?" Massie asked. This got everyone's attention and they all crowded around her.

"It's nothing. I just drank too much. I'm imagining things now." She laughed lightly at herself.

"Well come on, guys. Let's head outside." Dylan suggested.

As the group walked out of the hallway towards the doors, a bartender spotted them. "Hey! What were you kids doing back there?" He questioned irritably.

"Don't worry about it. We're done now." Massie answered in a monotone voice. She was too tired to react harshly and her feet were killing her. She would treat the PC with a deep tissue foot massage tomorrow. Dylan grabbed Claire's hand and led the group to the entrance. Little did they know, that things were about to take a turn for the worst.


	6. Chapter 6

***I don't own the Clique series.***

**Due to the fact that school has started up again, I won't be updating as frequently. I'll try my best to post a new chapter every other day or so, but I've been really busy. I am on Student Council and in advanced classes so my teachers are piling up the work already. But I love my readers and you guys are important to me. Thank you soooo much for the kind words. I promise not to leave you hanging for too long. I know how annoying that can be. So don't give up on me. XOXO**

**p.s. I want to know if you guys were expecting my little plot twist!**

Chapter 6

It was Monday morning, and most people were buzzing about Skye Hamilton's party, but not for the reasons you'd think. A dead girl from Abner Double Day, or ADD, had been discovered in some storage room the next morning. Her name was Regina Stein. She had been brutally beaten with an unknown blunt object. It was all over the news and every parent was asking their teenager questions about what had gone down at the party. Everyone had told their parents that it was like any regular party, leaving out any mention of alcohol. The PC was shocked. Claire had mentioned that she heard a scary scream at the end of the night, when she had wandered down that hallway, but she had walked away, being too drunk to think anything of it.

"_Should I say something?" She had stressed while nursing a hangover on Sunday in Massie's spa._

"_I guess. I mean are you positive you heard something?" Alicia asked scared._

"_No. Not really. My mind was twisted. And what if they ask me why I didn't go see what it was? What do I say? That I was a little fuzzy from all the shots I took?" Claire panicked._

"_Don't say anything then." Massie concluded. "The girl is dead and that's sad, tragic even, but it's not our fault, okay? Don't go around feeling guilty." Inside though, she knew, they all felt guilt. Could they have stopped it? Were they standing a few feet away as a girl was _murderedin the next _**room**__? The thought gave them all chills that they blamed on the heated bubbles of the Jacuzzi. They hadn't spoken to the guys, but they could only assume they were feeling the same way._

Massie was in third period English sitting with Dylan, Claire, and their "new" friends, Josh Hotz and Cam Fisher when a freshman girl whose name Massie didn't know, walked into the room with a note from the office. Mr. Kotchka read it and looked up.

"Cam Fisher, Joshua Hotz, Massie Block, Claire Lyons, and Dylan Marvil you are needed in the Student Services Office."

The class turned to look at them with childish ooooh's. Massie rolled her eyes, but inside she panicked. Why were they being sent to the SSO? She guessed that they were getting in trouble for their outburst in Conflict Resolution, but didn't they give out detentions in the _Main_ Office? They handled serious matters in the SSO, like…._expulsions_. They couldn't expel them, could they? Her friends seemed to be thinking the same thing as they asked for answers with their eyes. She shrugged trying to act nonchalant and stood up with them. They headed out into the hallway and started the nerve wracking walk to the office.

"What the hell is going on?" Cam asked in alarm.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Claire breathed.

"Let's just hurry up and get it over with." Massie broke in.

As they reached the office, a teary eyed Skye Hamilton exited. Massie looked at her questioningly.

"Whatever you guys know, tell them." Skye vaguely answered.

The five of them came into the room to see Headmaster Fowler standing rigidly by a young blonde haired man and an auburn haired woman, both in dark suits. The woman brushed lint off the man's expensive suit.

"Ummm… you called for us?" Josh asked lightly.

"Yes, Mr. Hotz. Please sit down while we wait for the others to arrive." The Headmaster insisted.

_The others? _ Just what was about to happen?

Just then, Alicia, Kristen, Derrick, Chris, and Kemp appeared looking bewildered and nervous, even more so when they saw their friends sitting already.

"Sit. Please." The women spoke up gently.

They did as she asked and waited.

I'll start." The man said sitting down with the woman in chairs facing them. "I'm Detective Moakley and this is my partner Detective Falk."

"Detectives?" Alicia wondered aloud.

"Yes, Ms. Rivera." He replied. It seemed that the detectives were already familiar with the names and faces of the kids in front of them. "We've received consent from all of your parents to do a routine questioning regarding the events of Skye Hamilton's party Saturday night to random names on the guest list."

"We'd like to begin by asking if you all were, in fact, there at the party." Detective Falk said smoothly.

"Yes, we were at the party." Derrick spoke up.

"You _all _admit to being there, correct?" Detective Moakley continued looking at them all. Everyone nodded.

"What is this about?" Massie demanded. She was getting really unsettled and she didn't like the way these detectives were looking at them. If this questioning was so _routine_, then why were the ten of them the only ones being questioned? And wasn't it a bit too coincidental that the first names they "randomly" picked off the guest list were her friends?

"We'll get to that, Ms. Block." He responded without missing a beat. "For now, my partner and I would like to ask you some questions."

Detective Falk produced a tiny marble notebook and a pencil before looking at them.

"I'll have to ask you all to not speak at the same time. Everyone can answer, but I need you to be patient. We will address who we want to answer." She looked at Massie. "What time did you all arrive?"

Massie sat up straighter. "The girls and I arrived a little after 9:30. The party, I believe, started at 9. My driver, Isaac dropped us off." She explained.

"How about you, Mr. Plovert?" Detective Moakley asked.

"Me and the guys came together about five minutes before that, I think. I saw the girls come in a little after we did." Chris answered looking at the guys for confirmation. "We walked from Cam's house. He doesn't live too far from there."

"When you arrived was the party already in session, Mr. Hotz?" Detective Falk asked.

"Yeah. Everyone was already on the dance floor and drinking…refreshments."

"Were you aware that students from Abner Double Day were there, Ms. Marvil?"

"No, but everyone was in costume. It wasn't a big deal. They come to a lot of our parties. Plus, Skye knows a lot of people. Including kids that go to ADD-I mean, uh, Abner Double Day." She corrected.

"I hear you guys are rival schools, though. There are reports of cruel pranks going back and forth between students from your school and theirs. Doesn't anyone ever get upset at these parties? Aren't there fights or arguments?"

"Sure there are." The redhead casually answered. "But that's high school. It's never gone too far, though. Eventually, someone stops them."

"Were any of you upset that students from ADD, as you call it, were present?" He asked everyone.

"No." They murmured in a low hum.

"Our schools don't like each other for three reasons," Chris chipped in explaining to them as if it was common knowledge, "First, there is money. The kids at ADD hate how kids here flaunt their designer clothes and country club memberships. I, for one, don't do that, but what can you do, you know? My family has money. I can't help that fact. Secondly, there are sports. Though they are, hands down, way better at football and baseball, we continue to dominate in soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and swimming." He said counting them off with his fingers. "Lastly, there are the girls. The ladies here at DA will try to ruin a girl at ADD if they find out she is dating a guy that goes here. The same goes for girls that go to ADD. The only difference is that girls_ here_ use power and connections and girls _there_ use fists. Which is worse? Heck if I know."

The woman, Detective Falk, smiled as if she found Chris's description of the situation charming.

"Did any of you see Regina Stein that night?" The male asked averting the conversation back to the serious matter. They all shook their heads looking around at their friends responses.

"Honestly, I don't even know what she looks like." Cam voiced. The others droned in agreement. Detective Moakley seemed to not buy that answer.

"What if I were to tell you all that you ten were the only people seen going back there all night?" Detective Moakley inquired.

"Then I'd have to ask you what we're really doing here." Alicia challenged. "You don't ask questions like that in a routine follow-up. After all, that's what our parents' think this is, right? A routine follow-up." The faces of the other nine students became defensive immediately. Alicia's father was one of the best lawyers on the east coast. Based on the implications hidden in that sentence, they were right to assume that he believed they were involved.

The detectives seemed surprised by the group's forwardness. _They weren't the tenth grade alphas for nothing. Alicia thought proudly._

Detective Moakley smiled artificially at them. He hadn't expected to be shot down so easily. "You're right, Ms. Rivera."

"Does anyone want to say what happened when all of you went back there?" Detective Falk asked trying a different approach. "You, Ms. Rivera, were seen shouting angrily and quickly heading to the back with your friends where you returned nearly 20 minutes later and after the party ended, you all were seen coming out of that area again by a bartender where you, Ms. Block, allegedly told him icily to 'not worry about it because you were done back there'. What did you mean by that?"

"I'm also confused as to why bartenders were needed at a high school party." Detective Moakley added. They avoided eye contact and pretended not to hear him.

"Your information is wrong." Claire spoke up. When the detectives looked at her, she didn't elaborate. She was still nervous about what she wasn't sure she heard that night.

"We weren't back there for 20 minutes," Kristen denied saving Claire from questions, "and Mass never said anything 'icily'."

"So you never said something to him, Ms. Block?" Detective Falk asked Massie for confirmation.

"I may have something to that extent, give or take a few words, but Kris means I didn't say it with venom or anything. That's BS." Massie sighed uninterested.

"He might have misinterpreted your reaction. He couldn't have known that you weren't giving him an attitude." She replied agreeably.

"Oh, _believe_ me. You'll know when Massie Block is giving you an attitude." Derrick stated with an air of expertise. Massie smirked at him. He should know.

"So tell us why you went back there." Detective Moakley spoke up.

"To talk." Massie offered.

"To talk." He echoed unimpressed. "About?"

"About an argument we had." Kemp said. "We wanted to make up and be friends again."

"You all look friendly enough to me." He pointed out sarcastically. It was obvious that he didn't like them very much.

"We're okay now, but we weren't talking to each other before. Something happened."

"What happened?" He prodded.

"We-" Kemp started.

"It's personal." Derrick cut him off. Kemp shut up immediately. Unlike Massie, Derrick rarely acted like an alpha to his friends, but they were still very aware that he was. The detectives seemed to notice the role that Derrick played in the group and they looked at him differently.

"Okay. Fair enough." Detective Falk nodded tucking her hair behind her ears. "Where did you go to talk?"

"We went to an office. I don't know whose, but it smelled like Cuban cigars." Alicia responded this time. "The second time we came to get a number out of the phone book. We needed a town car to take us home."

"I thought you said you guys had a driver." Detective Moakley countered suspiciously.

"I do." Massie assured. "I told him not to come. It was late. He needed a good night's rest."

"Not to offend you, Ms. Block," Detective Moakley voiced with a look that said he had **every intention** of offending a spoiled rich girl, "but you don't peg me as the type of girl who is _concerned_ if her _driver_ gets a good night's rest or not. Are you sure that's why you asked him not to pick you up?"

It stung. Massie knew that she was a bitch, but she cared about the people around her, including Isaac. He'd been driving her everywhere since she was an infant. Who did this guy think he was? He didn't even know her.

"Not to offend you, _Detective_, but you don't peg me as the type of man who would have an affair." Massie snapped. "Ironically enough, the ring on the fourth finger of your left hand, the lack of the ring on hers, and the look you both exchanged when she brushed the lint off your shoulder earlier leads me to believe I'm wrong. I guess we can all misjudge character can't we?" A surprised laugh escaped Chris and Kemp before they hastily shut up while the rest of the room looked on amazed. Headmaster Fowler choked on his saliva a little.

Detective Falk blushed like a tomato looking flustered while Detective Moakley fumed, enraged by the audacity of the teenage girl in front of him. His face quickly changed and he looked at Massie as if telling her to keep silent about what she had just discovered.

If it wasn't apparent before to the detectives, it was obvious now. Massie Block was Derrick Harrington's equivalent, the female alpha.

"I think that's enough questions for today," Detective Falk uttered almost inaudibly and Massie felt bad for a split second. The woman had been nothing but nice to them. "Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch." She said getting up and quickly walking out of the room.

"Well kids," Detective Moakley said bitterly glaring at each of them, "this isn't over. I'll be honest with you; I don't believe you for one second. I know that you know something. I'll be contacting your parents so they better have their lawyers ready because next time I question you, you can't worm your way out of answering. I _will_ find out what happened that night." With that, he stormed out.

Headmaster Fowler looked at them disapprovingly and sent them back to class. In the hallway, they all looked at each other in shock.

"Can you believe that he thinks that we possibly might have killed this girl?" Claire asked astonished.

"It's going to be okay, Claire." Alicia assured her. "My father's law firm will take care of us. We did nothing wrong, so they can't possibly prove that we did it. He just has a grudge now because Mass revealed his dirty little secret."

"This is _not _my fault!" Massie scoffed. "He was being rude, treating us like overindulgent brats. Besides, I was telling the truth."

"That's not important." Derrick cut in. "What's important is that we tell him everything we know. A girl was** murdered**, you guys. I know that none of us did it, but Claire you said you heard something. Maybe that will get him off our backs and help him find out who did. Somebody in this town is a murderer."

Suddenly Massie's heart started to pound. "Derrick is right. It could be somebody we _know_. It could've been someone we brushed shoulders or locked eyes with Saturday night completely unaware. He or she might have walked right past us back there with Regina when our backs were turned. She might have heard us a couple of rooms away and thought we were coming to help her, but-." She started to breathe heavily and her eyes burned with sudden tears. Seeing their always held together alpha upset, while taking in every word she said like oxygen made the PC unable to hold back their suppressed feelings of guilt any longer and soon their faces crinkled as they started to cry too, especially Claire who let out a gutted sob.

The boys stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. It had been a long time since they had seen these girls get emotional. Finally, when he heard Claire whimper, Cam grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. The rest of them followed suit.

"Shhhh," Josh soothed wiping Alicia's tears, "we didn't know, okay? We didn't know. Don't cry."

Kemp smoothed out Kristen's strawberry blonde hair as she held onto him tightly and hid her weeping face.

Chris whispered into Dylan's ear as she buried her face in his neck and sniffled.

"Wow, Block. Your moods are giving me whiplash." Derrick sighed rubbing Massie's back.

"God, Derrick!" Massie exclaimed pulling away from him. He had to be the one to ruin it. He pulled her back roughly and she let him.

"I'm kidding, okay?" He held her tear covered face gently in his hands and forced her to look at him before smiling charmingly. "I'm kidding. I love your mood swings, Block. That's the only way I know you're not superhuman." She wiped her eyes timidly and scoffed, but she was noticeably fighting back a smile.

"My makeup probably looks horrendous now and my face is all red." She complained.

"Oh, shut up. You know you're gorgeous." He groaned.

"Whatever. I still feel horrible inside." Massie insisted.

"I get it. We all do. We're thinking and feeling the same things you are, but you can't start being angry with yourself because of something you couldn't control. You need to be strong now, Block, more now than ever. What we need to do is help those detectives in whatever way we can to find out who really did this, alright?" Derrick asked. Massie nodded calming down.

"We can't do that if you keep pissing him off though, okay?"He teased looking her meaningfully in the eyes and she chuckled. She couldn't believe she did that to someone. Okay, well she totally could, but still. "Alright, then. Are you okay now?" She nodded again. He put his arm around her and looked to see that his friends had managed to get the other girls composed.

"Is my hair okay?" Dylan asked Kristen as if nothing ever happened.

"Give it a little toss and you're fine. How about my makeup?" Kristen asked in turn. Kemp snorted incredulously as she didn't even acknowledge her breakdown.

"The NARS waterproof mascara worked like a charm." Dylan assured following Kristen's suggestion and tossing her hair to give it more volume. "Yours looks fine too, Leesh."

"Thanks." Alicia grinned fanning her face to stop the blotchiness. "Claire, you're okay. Just regloss. Chew your lips, Mass, they're looking a little pale." Together, the PC primped and perfected their appearance.

"Wow." Cam jokingly gushed. "It's been so long since I've watched the Pretty Committee pretty themselves up." Claire swatted his arm playfully.

"Okay, class is over in about 3 minutes," Josh made known glancing down at his expensive Cartier watch, "if we hurry we can make it back to the classrooms before the hallways are crowded and get our books."

They all quickly dispersed heading back to where they were supposed to be. People glanced up at them suspiciously, as they reentered the classrooms curious as to why they could have been gone so long. If only they knew...Massie thought. People make a lot of assumptions about me already, what will they think if they find out detectives are asking me and my friends questions about that girl's death?


	7. Chapter 7

*I don't own the Clique series*

**Ehmagawd. I am sooooo sorry. I promised not to leave you hanging and I did. I've been so busy. I have to tutor. I have to help throw the homecoming dance. I have dance team practice. I have homework. I volunteer at the dog pound. On top of that, I take SATs next month. I've been trying to write as much as possible. SO. While I can't promise to update quickly. I can promise that I WILL finish this story. Don't get me wrong. It's nowhere near done. I'm just telling you that I won't desert the story after writing it halfway. Anyway, here you go. New Chapter. XXXXXOOOOO times a billion.**

Chapter 7

Massie admired Lisette Carlyle's burnt orange wool-knit skirt appreciatively as she sat down next to her. She was sitting in the arts building during study hall. Across the room, she saw Skye Hamilton scowl in their direction. Skye hated that the 12th grader favored Massie even though she was only a sophomore. Skye was supposed to take over next year for the senior spot, but Massie realized that she felt threatened. Being senior alpha didn't necessarily make you the top dog. There were four queen bees, all from different grades, and occasionally a younger one could outshine all the others. Lisette herself had been declared the top alpha since sophomore year after she dated Roderick Thorne, the son of a U.S. Ambassador. Massie was elated that Skye was worried. She remembered being terrified of Skye in the 7th grade. She had envied her air of importance and dancer's body. Her jealousy had vanished as soon as Lisette took a liking to her and made it obvious that she hoped for Massie to take over the throne after she graduated. The freshman alpha, Shauna Foster, didn't stand a chance.

"I haven't had time to talk to you about something." Lisette said flipping her thick burgundy hair behind her. Her pale blue eyes flickered up and down Massie's outfit in a matter of three seconds; beige skinny pants by Theory, a Gucci silk blouse with a low draping neck and Tory Burch python print ballet flats. Her lip twitched up in approval. "Rumor has it that the cops questioned you and the girls last week about that girl who died."

"I'm afraid you heard right. It wasn't a big deal. They just asked if we saw anything unusual happen that night is all." Massie answered.

To anyone watching, she looked completely nonchalant, but she had been jittery all week. So far, it seemed that Detective Moakley had been bluffing. He hadn't contacted any of their parents to get their lawyers ready, but every morning Massie awoke, sure that it would be the day he did.

"Well did you?" Lisette asked softly. "You know better than anyone that I can keep a secret."

"No. We were just as drunk as everyone else. I honestly can't remember a lot."

Lisette's head tilted skeptically. "I hope that's not what you told them."

"Of course not. I said we were too busy partying to notice anything out of the ordinary. Which is the truth. With minor details cut out. Alcohol doesn't change the fact that that girl is dead and nobody knows anything." She whispered harshly.

"That's not true. Somebody knows." Lisette said lowly, shivering so lightly that Massie could have imagined it. Her eyes were like saucers looking at something light years away. "Somebody knows, Massie."

There was a pregnant pause before Massie spoke up. "We were back there. You know, near the storage room where they found her. It was only for a couple of minutes for us to talk in private. Claire thought she heard a scream, but she ignored it. We all did." She looked away too afraid to see Lisette's reaction.

There was what Massie guessed was a stunned silence. "Who's we?" Lisette asked.

"The Pretty Committee." Massie relented. "Josh Hotz, Cam Fisher, Derrick Harrington, Chris Plovert, and Kemp Hurley were there too." This time she turned to look at Lisette.

"I heard you guys were hanging out again." Lisette said with narrowed eyes. "What's the story there?"

"There is no story. The past is forgiven, but not forgotten." Massie assured her. "But in the meantime we've just been hanging out." She shrugged. "We've never tried to be just friends before."

"And how is that working out for you guys?"

"Good. So far. Conversation is a little more fun with guys' around. And plus they keep us calm about the whole Regina thing." Lisette looked at Massie curiously and with a split-second decision she continued. "Which reminds me…. the whole Regina thing… there's something else that happened when they questioned us… The two detectives, a man and a woman, thought that we knew more than we were telling them and making all these 'implications' you know? The one guy, especially, was being way harsh and so I went into hyper-defensive bitch mode and broadcasted to everyone in the room that they were sleeping together, BTW they totally were, and now I'm pretty sure he is determined to take us down. He told us to get our lawyers ready because he would be back." Massie blurted out. Lisette looked dizzy with information. Her faced scrunched as she went back and processed everything Massie had just said. Finally, she looked at Massie with pitiful affection.

"The stuff you get yourself into…" Lisette uttered. "Anyway, you're doing the right thing by keeping your cool. Claire has to tell them what she think she heard, whether she imagined it or not. Besides that, you're completely safe. He's got no proof that you're lying."

"I know, but that won't stop people from _thinking_ we are if this gets out. There are about forty girls I can name from the top of my head ready to see me go down and I won't give them the satisfaction." Massie could be vulnerable around Lisette. She openly discussed her anxieties of being an alpha knowing she would listen with understanding and experience.

"Believe me. At the end of the day, nothing they say or do will matter. We're two of a kind. Remember what I told you. Being one of us isn't just a title; it's a job." She insisted with a cheeky smile that slowly untwisted the knot in Massie's stomach. Now that Lisette knew everything and was still on her side, she didn't have to fake the confidence that assured the Pretty Committee that everything would be okay.

Massie laughed at that, "And what do I get paid in? Wannabees?"

"Even better," Lisette replied, "Power."

After study hall was over, Massie headed over to French class. When she walked in, she saw Dylan and Chris paired together at the back. Dylan was drawing stars on his wrist in black Sharpie marker while he sat there helplessly. She inwardly smiled knowing that Dylan was very persuasive in getting her way, but looked around with a sigh. She usually sat with Dylan in this class. She spotted Derrington sitting at a table alone trying to discreetly text someone, but he had kept his book on the chair next to him hinting that he wanted no one to sit next to him. Meagan Greer's eyes flickered longingly from the seat to him, but he seemed oblivious. Massie smirked and rolled her eyes before taking a seat at the very front alone. She carefully placed her Marc Jacobs leather tote on the seat beside her. Madame Munier gave her a curious look that she pretended to not see. She didn't want to explain that Dylan had ditched her for Plovert. She sat waiting for the starting bell to ring while impatiently shaking her leg.

"Block, what's your deal?" Derrick called suddenly from the back of the room. "I went through the trouble of saving you a seat and you won't even do me the honor of gracing me with your presence?" Massie tensed at first, but recovered quickly, whipping her head back to look at him with an amused grin.

"Was the little chair blocking demonstration for me? My, oh my, I'm terribly impressed. You certainly know how to make a lady feel special."

"That I do. Shall you join me, then?"

She pretended to think about it. "I guess." She got up grabbing her bag as the bell rang and headed over to the back. Megan Greer looked at Massie solemnly surveying her from head to toe. Massie, taking an alpha tip from Lisette, decided to make it impossible for this girl to hate her.

"Ehmagawd. Cuh-yute boots. Sergio Rossi, right? I've got the same ones." Massie gushed. The girl's face brightened up as a wide smile spread across her face. She seemed shocked and slightly proud of herself.

"Yeah." She breathed. "Thanks."

Massie gave her a sweet smile before purposely knocking Derrick's books off the seat and onto the floor to sit down. Megan, who was still looking at her, giggled before turning around, sitting up noticeably straighter. Massie looked at Derrick who was giving her a small smile.

"Did I just see you, Massie Block, give a random girl a compliment to make her feel better?" He asked incredulously not paying any attention to his books on the floor.

"Yes. You did. And your problem with that is…?"

"My God, she has a heart." He teased.

"Shut up and pay attention." She said turning to listen to the professor. They spent the rest of class giving each other quiet snide remarks with their eyes faced forward. When they were assigned work, Derrick ignored his books on the floor and slid closer to Massie pulling her books towards him instead. They shared for the rest of class.

"I have a confession to make." Claire blurted to the Pretty Committee.

They were at Starbucks after school drinking low-fat Venti cappuccinos. The fall Westchester air was slowly transitioning to winter and the girls each sported a heavy jacket or blazer. They tried to avoid wearing coats for as long as possible before it got too cold out. Massie noted Claire had been tugging on the collar of the borrowed Versace leather jacket she wore. She knew something was up.

"Just rip it off like a band-aid, Kuh-laire." Massie muttered before taking a quick sip of her drink.

"Umm…well….the thing is…." She started while chewing on the ends of her hair. Alicia wrinkled her nose and slapped Claire's hand away from her mouth letting the wet strands fall back against her shoulder. "Me and Cam. We flirt. Like….all the time."

The girls stared dumbly at her before falling into fits of laughter.

"What's so funny about that?" Claire demanded.

"Um, Sweetie?…." Kristen spoke up. "_**So what**_?" She burst into a loud cackle. "Why are you so worried? I mean, in case you haven't noticed yet, we all do."

Claire's face turned into one of confusion. "Well I just thought since we got into this thing with the intentions of friendship, I mean at least I did-"

"We all did." Dylan insisted.

"We still do." Massie added.

"Flirting is just flirting. It's harmless. I know I'm not expecting those late night texts from Chris to really go anywhere. At the same time, he's a cute guy, and I'm a cute girl. It's practically built in the chemistry of our brains to flirt." Dylan quipped.

"I disagree with you." Alicia countered. "It's the same for me and Josh. Like you said, there's chemistry and all that junk, but flirting is far from harmless, especially if you don't want it to go anywhere. I don't really know what Josh is thinking half the time actually. I'll randomly tell him he looks hot and he'll put his arm around me and the line always gets a little blurred, but I don't want to be back together or anything. Friendship is good. It works."

"Do you think they know that?" Kristen asked skeptically. "Kemp and I hug and that's it. We had one heart-to-heart where he apologized for what he said to me when we broke up. I forgave him because I know how Kemp is. He can be cruel if his feelings are really hurt. I knew, even that day, that he said those things because he was upset. Those words hurt me, all the same, probably more than his actions, but I know that I can't keep a grudge over them."

"I think they do." Dylan said. "Chris is the guy friend I always wanted. For one, he's great for my self-esteem since he always tells me when I look especially good. Aaaand he holds my purse when I'm getting my books out of my locker. Aaaand he even paid for my lunch when I forgot my credit card at home."

"Kind of like a boyfriend does?" Alicia asked accusingly.

"Exactly." Dylan answered unapologetic. "Except, there's none of the pressure that comes in when you're romantically involved. We don't kiss or even touch each other too much. He's just… there for me."

"And you're sure he's on the same page?" Claire asked.

"100 percent." Dylan beamed.

"Okay," Alicia concurred, "if you say so, then I guess you're right. Flirting's okay then, Kuh-laire."

Claire visibly relaxed. "What about you, Mass?"

Massie had been listening to what Dylan had to say and she agreed. "I think Dylan's right. Look at Lisette and Rafi. They dated for a while and their breakup sucked a little, but they still talk sometimes. And how ah-dorable did they look when they were crowned homecoming king and queen? They were laughing when they had to dance together. We don't have to make this a big deal. Derrington and I are fine. We haven't brought up the past yet, but I don't think either of us wants to. He's free to screw around with all the little tramps his heart desires."Just then, she got a text.

'Where r u guys? We were all supposed 2 hang out 2day but ur nowhere 2 b found.'~DH

She looked up at them. "Speaking of which, they're looking for us. Apparently we were all supposed to hang out this afternoon. Oops."

35 minutes later, the PC stood outside Cam Fisher's front door. Derrick had told Massie and the girls through text that he and the guys were there and to come over. They had been standing there since they arrived almost fifteen minutes ago and knocked on the door, but no one had answered and Cam wasn't answering his cell. Kristen pressed the bell persistently. The wind had picked up and they were all shivering. It was an understatement to say that the PC was pissed.

"That's it. I'm calling Isaac." Massie growled. She took out her IPhone and started to dial. Just then, the door flew open and Harris Fisher stood there looking at them with a phone to his ear, mid-conversation. He opened the door wider gesturing for them to come in. Massie and the PC stomped in angrily.

Alicia looked at Harris. She was a little surprised at how much older he looked from when she last saw him. He was now a junior at Vassar. She remembered crushing on him briefly before she met Josh. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Hey. You." Massie snapped her fingers trying to get his attention. He looked at her before making a quick excuse and ending his phone call.

"I remember you girls. My little brother and his friends used to be in love with you guys or whatever." He chuckled. "Don't tell me. It's….Massie…Kristen…Dylan, Alicia, and Claire. I've heard so much about you. Or should I say too much."He looked at each of them studying them each from head to toe. He paused on each of their stony faces watching them each with amusement. Their noses were red from the cold. "I'm great with names." He explained.

"Good for you." Massie smiled fakely. "Can you tell me where your asshole brother and his asshole friends are?"

Harris let out a low whistle. "They weren't playing when they described you. I guess I've never really noticed, but you five are really something." His head tilted mockingly and a smirk broke at the corners of his mouth.

Alicia removed her hands out of the pockets of her Ralph Lauren vintage Donegal tweed jacket and spoke up. "Harris, can you stop being such a prick for ten seconds and answer the question? Are the boys here or nawt?" Her hair looked wild from the wind, but she still looked gorgeous.

He sighed dramatically as if it were a lot of work to tell them. "They're here. Upstairs I think." He answered. "Go easy on them, ladies."

Together, the PC turned quickly on their heels and headed for the staircase. Upstairs, they walked around listening to find a room with noise. Finally, they heard a burst of laughter in a room on the right. Massie heard Derrington's deep rumbling voice and scowled before walking over and swinging the door open. The boys jumped and turned around. They were all sitting on Cam's bedroom floor watching a football game.

"Took you long enough to get here." Kemp scoffed. Kristen, whose lips were still a little blue, yanked off one of her Dolce Vita snake print loafers and hurled it at him. It smacked him right on his left cheek. The boys laughed.

"Ow! What the fuck is your problem?"

"Her problem is we were standing outside in the cold for almost 20 minutes and no one bothered to answer the goddamn door. Or their phones." Claire seethed. The boys realized she was serious and the smiles on their faces disappeared.

"Come on. How were we supposed to know? We couldn't hear the bell. We had the game on loud." Cam coaxed.

"Well, gee, that's makes the fact that I can't feel my fingers all better." Massie barked sarcastically. "When you have people coming over don't you think it would be smart to keep track of time just in case they were, I don't know, standing outside waiting for you to let them in?"

"Well we didn't know you were. We're not mind readers." Kemp argued.

"No. Just morons."

"Massie. Stop it." Derrick ordered in a gruff voice.

"Watch it, Derrick. I've still got one shoe left." Kristen challenged.

"Okay, can everyone calm down?" Josh broke in. "Girls, I'm sorry. These idiots are sorry too, they just have a problem admitting it when their being threatened with designer shoes." He stood up. "Guys come on, look at them. They look frozen." Kemp and Derrick's face softened when they noticed that he was right. It was silent as everyone got a hold of themselves. The PC, who were now more cold than angry stood awkwardly huddled together.

Josh walked over to Cam's closet and pulled out several warm-up hoodies. He handed them to each girl. Besides Claire, who immediately pulled hers over her head, the rest of the PC stared at them dumbly.

"Would you rather be fashionable or cold?" Chris questioned with an eye roll. After a few more seconds of hesitation, they put them on. Kristen hobbled over to Kemp and softly asked him to pass her the shoe she was missing. When he did and she put it back on, she kneeled down and inspected his cheek.

"It'll probably bruise." She said with faint embarrassment.

"I might be able to get over it with a kiss." He hinted.

She leaned in and gave him soft peck right on his cheekbone. "There. As good as knew."

"Y'know my lips feel a little sore too." He ventured. Cam and Chris laughed.

"You should probably get that checked out then." She said with an unimpressed clap on his shoulder getting up.

"Awww, Kris, now you bruised his ego too." Dylan joked.

"Him? Never. Mr. Hurley over there is shameless." Kristen remarked.

"The lady knows me too well." He grinned.

Claire looked around the room. It had been so long since she'd seen Cam's room. She tried to think about the last time she had been in here.

"_It's just something me and the guys do every once in a while to take the edge off before a big game. It's not like I'm some drug addict or something. It's just pot."He was lying across his bed repeatedly tossing a soccer ball in the air and catching it._

"_I don't care, Cam. I don't like it and I don't like you when you're on it." Claire said annoyed. She eyed the tiny C's scattered across Massie's Chanel scarf tied around the ugly ankle boot the doctor had given her to wear. She couldn't wait to get it taken off next week. She had torn a muscle in her ankle when a student driver from ADD had swerved the driver's ed practice car onto the sidewalk by accident, hitting her. Cam had failed to show up at the hospital with everyone because he had been too high. Although she ignored the PC's pitiful looks and Massie's knowing stare, they all knew why he hadn't shown up._

"_Claire, it's not that serious."_

"_Yes it is. It is to me." She argued. "It's affecting our relationship."_

"_It doesn't have to. I screwed up once and I promised it wouldn't happen again. I haven't done anything wrong since then. I don't know why you feel the need to nag about it."_

"_Because Cam," Claire said, "what you're telling me is not that you won't get high again, which is what I'm asking for, but that you'll make sure that I never know the difference."_

"_So?" He shrieked. "I already told you. I'm not making any promises, Claire. It's not like we're married."_

"_You're right. We're not. But when you asked me last week to stop tutoring Ryan Cooke because his older brother flirted with me, I did. Despite the fact that I could use the money. Now I'm asking you to do something for me."_

"_You don't get it. You don't know what it's like to be so nervous before a game that you can't even think straight. I'm sorry, but no."_

_She got up from the bed quickly balancing on one foot. "No you're not. But you will be. You've made your choice. It was me or the drugs and it's becoming apparent that I'm obviously not as important as they are." Her voice cracked. "You love soccer. I get it. But if you have to go this far to play don't you think something is wrong?"_

"_You know what's wrong? The fact that you're still here. Go home, Claire. I'll talk to you tomorrow."He said dismissing her. _

_He's actually __**dismissing**__ me. Claire thought with disbelief. She was fed up with his attitude._

_For the first time since she arrived in Westchester, Claire Lyons pulled a Massie Block. She ignored the pain in her ankle and stalked over to his desk where a glass frame held a picture of the two of them. Without a second thought, she picked it up and smashed it on the floor. Cam got up fast and ran over to where she stood trying to stop her. She shoved him away and picked up the picture and ripped it in half. She tossed the side with his face on it back on the desk and tucked the other half in her jean pocket. She looked up at him with her icy wide blue eyes._

"_There. Now I'm saving you the trouble of the breakup we're about to have. You don't have to talk to me tomorrow. In fact, you don't have to talk to me ever. Do you and me a favor and forget my number. You can forget what I look like while you're at it. Here's a start." She started to walk away. _

"_Just stop, Claire. Why are you doing this?" Cam asked. She could hear in his voice that he was angry and upset, but she refused to let herself care and kept going until she was out of that house. _

"Kuh-laire, come awn." Dylan said hooking her arm onto Claire's.

"Wait. Where are we going?" Claire asked allowing herself to be dragged after the rest of the group.

"Downstairs to the entertainment room. It was getting too crowded up there." Dylan answered.

When they entered the room, Claire felt her stomach drop a little. It looked exactly the same. She thought back to the hours she and Cam used to spend snuggled in blankets watching movies.

The entertainment room was relatively large. There were long sectional couches surrounding the room and several large bean bag chairs. Massie wrinkled her nose at the options. After a silent deliberation, she sat down on one of the couches. Alicia and Claire did the same, but Dylan and Kristen settled in a beanie bag chair together. The guys, unsurprisingly, each plopped into a beanie bag chair of their own.

"So one of the reasons we asked you guys over here is because we need a favor." Josh confessed.

"Of course. How did I not know this was going to happen?" Massie replied. It was obvious to everyone that she was amused though.

"What is it? Dylan asked curiously.

"As you've probably already heard," Josh said in the business-like tone his father usually used, "Easton Doyle and his friends have recently begun complaining to the school administration board that too much funding goes towards the athletic department. He's asked that they cut our budget and instead focus more on the academic groups like the Math and Science club. The administration is considering it. The problem with that is, Coach says that a good part of that money is his paycheck and his wife just had a third kid. Without it, he would be forced to resign. We can't have that. Coach Stenson led us to championships last year. We tried to get Doyle and his little buddies to lay off, but it didn't work. That's where you come in. I've seen you guys at work, and I know that you're capable of pretty much anything so we need you to-"

"Done." Massie said with a wide grin.

"But you don't even know what he was going to say." Derrick voiced.

"Let me guess." Alicia smiled wickedly. "You want us to get them expelled."

"No!" Kemp broke in urgently. "Nothing that serious."

"Okaaay. Then how about getting all of the members to quit so there are no more academic clubs?" Kristen tried.

"No." Chris answered.

"How about…seducing them on videotape and editing it to make it look like they've all been harboring secret boy crushes on each other, forcing them to transfer out of humiliation." Dylan offered.

"NO!" The boys shouted with wide eyes. They were laughing though.

"Get the administration board fired?" Claire guessed.

"**No**." Cam insisted. The PC all looked confused. Those were some of their best ideas.

"Look, girls." Derrick explained. "Nothing that evil. I know that's your specialty and all," he smirked, "but if you let Josh finish, he would've said that, to raise money, we would like you to throw a bachelor's auction. You know the one's where guys go onstage and the ladies get to bid on the one they want and-"

"Derrick." Massie interrupted. "We know what a bachelor's auction is. But to throw a bachelor's auction, you need bachelors."

"That's where we come in." Chris said. He sat up straighter and smiled wiggling his eyebrows. "The whole soccer team is willing to be put up for auction. And we know a few other guys around the school who'll do it for sure."

"We just need some women's brainpower to start putting this whole event together." Kemp piped up.

"Okay." Massie said with a shrug.

"Okay?" Derrick questioned.

"Oh-kay." She said again this time looking at him as if he were a kindergartener who didn't understand English.

"Just making sure." He replied. "Oh, and ladies, no funny business."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked sounding offended.

"He means that you can be a little…_what's the word I'm looking for_? **Extreme**." Kemp responded, "I mean, not that I would be opposed to seeing you guys seduce some math geeks and all, but you're ideas can get a little crazy. Let's keep this whole thing simple."

"What. Ever." Alicia assented. "You've got yourselves a deal, but what do we get in return?"

"Well that depends." Josh said with hesitation. "What do you want?"

"Hmmmm." She tapped her chin playfully and looked at the PC. "What do we want girls?"

They sat and deliberated silently.

"I know what I need." Dylan said brightly. "My mother is throwing a dinner party tomorrow night and Cory Winchester is going to be there. For you guys who don't know, Cory is my most recent ex-boyfriend. I'm positive he will be there with his new girlfriend."

"Who is also his ex-girlfriend." Claire said.

"Who is soooo nawt as pretty as Dylan." Alicia added.

"Thanks, Leesh." Dylan smiled gratefully. She turned back to the guys who still had no idea where she was going with this. "Anyway. Thanks to my new exercise regimen, my booty is looking tighter than ever!"

"Yay!" Kristen whisper yelled with an air clap.

"So," Dylan continued, "I'm gonna look ah-mazing in the little black Herve Leger mesh and foil inset dress Massie got for me!" Massie giggled and gave her a wink. The guys were still clueless as they listened with blank expressions.

"But I've been thinking, and the only thing that'll look better than me in that dress, is me in that dress next to a really hot guy. So….. any takers?" She asked with a charming smile.

"Wow. Dylan." Josh gushed jokingly. "I had no idea that you thought I was such a hottie." The guys and the PC, including Dylan, chuckled well humouredly.

"Is that the only thing on your list of demands, cause if it is then this is kind of a double win for us. One of us gets to escort a sexy girl somewhere for an evening _and_ we still get our auction?" Kemp asked. "Great doing business with you, ladies."

"Hold up buddy." Kristen said. "That's only one on our list. You owe us one favor each. And you still haven't told us who will be Dylan's date."

"I would be honored to have you on my arm, Miss Marvil." Chris volunteered. "May I add that I agree that your ass looks amazing?"

"You may." She replied. The PC noticed that she bit her lip a little, something she only did when she was starting to like a guy.

"Great. It's settled then." Massie said. "As for the rest of us, it's undecided. Let's just say you owe us one and we'll get to it when we get to it."

"Fine by us." Cam resigned.

"Anyway, we haven't hosted an event in a while." Claire said excitedly.

"And no one throws a party quite like the Pretty Committee!" Kristen sang.


	8. Chapter 8

*I don't own the Clique series*

**I give you…Chapter 8. Tell me what you think. I worked really hard on it. Cute Massington moment alert! REVIEW. I love to read them. It would make my week. I've had a really bad one. Seriously. I cried about six times. xoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Chapter 8

Life for the Pretty Committee had been all over the place recently and not necessarily in a good way. Some days were dull and uninteresting, like a rerun episode of Lost or one of Mrs. Petrocelli's holiday sweaters, and sometimes, like today, things couldn't be more **insane**.

It happened.

Detective Moakley and Falk contacted all of their parents about Skye Hamilton's party. It was official. They were suspects in a murder case.

If it weren't for the botox, Kendra Block's forehead would have been wrinkled with worry. After hounding Massie with dozens of questions before deciding that she was telling the truth, her mother assured her everything would be taken care of. Massie felt immense relief. Her mother had always gotten exactly what she wanted no matter how elusive it was. 18 years ago she was able to snag Westchester's most wealthy and handsome bachelor. He had paid her no mind at first, completely focused on work and not interested in looking for a wife any time soon, but with a dress that could give any man a heart attack, a dazzling smile, and catty amber eyes, it wasn't long before he was hers. Within a year, she had a ring on her finger, thus becoming the wife of a Mr. William Block.

She immediately ran upstairs and shut the door to her room whipping out her iPhone. She was about to text the PC when she halted. Something was different about her room. She looked around. Everything appeared to be the same. Then it hit her.

Hugo Boss cologne.

"I know you're in here, Derrick. Stop being a creep and come out." She demanded.

Her closet door swung open and he appeared. He wore dark jeans and a long-sleeved white thermal.

"Do I even want to know how you got inside my house?" She asked with her amber eyes in slits.

"I don't know. Do you?" He asked in return.

She scoffed. "You know what? Forget it. How about you start by telling me why you're here." She answered walking over to her bed and plopping down. Derrick followed but, unlike her, he laid down on his back next to her with his arms supporting his neck.

"Did your parents flip out yet?" He asked.

"My mom did. Right before I came upstairs actually. My dad is still on his business trip. She doesn't want to upset him while he's working so he doesn't even know about it yet. What about you?"

"My dad's threatening to sue about a dozen people already. My mom's in tears. They weren't as angry with me as I thought they'd be. They're more intent on ruining anyone who even thinks about accusing me of anything. Things are kind of crazy back home so I snuck out."

"And you came here?" She looked at him tauntingly.

"Of course, darling, where else would I be?" His eyes penetrated through hers teasingly. She looked away.

"Oh, I don't know," she mused, "maybe with someone who appreciates your company? Somebody who even remotely likes having you around?" Her eyes were bright with amusement.

"Pshh," he scoffed, "you like having me around, Block. I'm sure of it."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure?" She questioned.

"It's a matter of what you say verses what you do." He replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"Like the fact that you're implying that you don't want me here and yet… I'm still here. I'm lying here across your bed and you're doing absolutely nothing about it." He smirked.

"Touché," Massie muttered with a tiny smile. "Maybe. Just maybe I like that you're here. But not as much as _**you **_like that you're here."

He rolled his eyes, but his smirk grew into a smile revealing his straight white teeth. Massie admired them remembering that they were one of the first things that attracted him to her.

"You know you're my favorite girl, Block. Don't gloat."

"You know that's my favorite thing to do, Harrington." She chuckled. "Which reminds me, Olivia Ryan emailed me last night."

Derrick laughed. "Oh, yeah? What did she say?"

"Basically that she was sorry for spreading vicious rumors about the Pretty Committee and that she only did it because she hated how we always acted like we were better than her-"

"You guys act like you're better than everyone." He pointed out cutting her off.

"I know, right? She acts like we actually go out of our way to try to be better than her. Newsflash: I don't need to try." Massie said, oblivious to the point he was trying to make.

Derrick laughed harder at this. "Do you hear yourself? It doesn't bother you that other girls don't like you?"

"Of course not. Why should it? They don't like me, but at the same time they want to _be_ me." Massie replied. "I know that you're at least a little aware that most guys in our school hate that you get all the girls _and_ the soccer captain title. So they _dress like you _and _walk like you_ and hang onto your _every word._ They don't know the secret. The real reason why people want to be you."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know the "secret"." Derrick said using air quotes.

Massie snorted. "Correction. You just don't _**know**_ you know the secret. I thought so too. That makes you a natural leader. Someone who knows what it takes to be on top without having to think about it."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" He asked genuinely curious.

"The secret is not to imitate those on top already. Everyone can spot a wannabe from a mile away. You have to make them think that what _you _have is so much better until they actually start to believe it. If **you** think you're something to look at, **people** will start to think you're something to look at. You barely need to do anything. After you've got them hooked, they won't dare look away. The rest should come naturally." She mused.

"But it doesn't for everyone." Derrick said shaking his head. "I don't think you understand how lucky you are, Block. It's a gift to have people look up to you. Not every guy can be athletic or funny or charming, just like how not every girl has pouty red lips, a wardrobe worth a brain surgeon's salary and a sharp tongue."

"You think I have pouty red lips?" Massie asked teasingly, obviously flattered. Just like that, the topic had changed. It was usually like that with her and Derrington.

"Oh, those lips and I have history. I know what they feel like firsthand, remember?" He smirked proudly.

"Who knows whose lips you could be remembering right now?" Massie scoffed while rolling her eyes. "There are dozens after me. You even have history with Duh-livia's lips. For all you know you could be actually imagining hers instead."

"Nah. Olivia was a sloppy kisser. And she had thin lips. I remember because she used to ask me almost every day if I thought she should get collagen injections to make them bigger. I always said no. And we didn't go out very long. I didn't even know that you knew about us. Keeping tabs on me I see." He hissed scandalously.

"Of course. The queen must always be aware of the affairs of her people." She said nonchalantly not falling for his trap. "You've also dated Denise double chin Hadley, No forehead Reese Graham, Wedgie-picking Ashley Brewster, Donna side burns Zedanowitz, Morgan Pinkerton, who was adorable, Morgan Gage, who wasn't, and the neighborhood bicycle, Zoe Hatzilakos."

"Do you have a nasty nickname for everyone? And why do you call Zoe the neighborhood bicycle?"

"Because. Every guy in _**town's**_ taken her for a ride, Harrington. Catch up."

He hooted with laughter. "That one's new. I haven't heard you guys use that one before." He said referring to the PC.

"And what about you and Mr. Africa, Dempsey Solomon? Or what about that bass player, Wes? I heard he cried when you dumped him. And Landon Crane? Every time I saw that guy, I wanted to punch him in the face. He was such a cocky little shit." Derrick exclaimed. "And I don't know if you ever found out, but Olivia wasn't the only one he was seeing behind your back."

"Oh, I knew about every other girl." Massie said making kissy faces at Bean, who suddenly appeared, across the room. "And I took care of them. He was confused as to why every one of his little secret girlfriends broke it off and ran away without so much as an explanation. I made sure none of them told him I knew." The tiny black pug scrambled her way over to Massie. She scooped her into her arms and began scratching the back of her ears.

"Why would you stay with him then? Every time I saw you together I couldn't stand it. I just didn't understand how you, of all people, couldn't see him for what he really was. People thought you were being fooled."

She chuckled. "People don't know anything. I could have done the typical thing. I could have slapped him and cried in front of everyone looking utterly heartbroken. I could have accepted all of their "pity" and acted like a woman scorned. But, it was _Landon Crane_. The cream of the crop. A senior. I was a freshman and **still** _every one_ of his secret girls on the side wished they were me. _**I**_ was the main girl._** I**_ was the one he wanted to be seen with in public, the one who his mother adored and bought beautiful gifts. The one she told every mother in the Westchester Woman's Book Club that she wished would be her daughter-in-law. I was gaining a lot more than I was losing. Besides, I took care of Landon too. I waited until the morning after his prom night, the night he dumped me in a hotel room after I wouldn't have sex with him."

Derrick frowned. "So what…You let him treat you like trash for a_** title**_, Block? Wow, what a way to throw out your dignity."

"Screw you." She scowled. "Don't judge me. Just like everyone else, you don't know anything about anything. I got something out of that relationship. Do you know that his mother has already spoken to the editors at Vogue about me? They offered me an internship there as soon as I'm out of high school. Do you know how big that is? I'm practically set for life and all I had to do was stand there and look pretty on some rich boy's arm." She smirked and was glad to see Derrick give her a look of admiration. _He understands now_. "Besides, I made sure Landon didn't get away thinking he screwed me over."

"What did you do to him?" He asked. "Please tell me you got him good."

"Well I guess you heard he's attending Dartmouth this fall. It's his dream college. His family is pretty well-known there so he was just a shoe-in at admissions, really. Let's just say that every co-ed, from the hippie freak intellectuals to the big-breasted sorority girls, have received an anonymous email about the incoming freshman's nasty case of gonorrhea. And with only two phone calls made by _moi_, a record may I add, he's been denied by the fraternity he's been dreaming of getting into since he was 14. The fraternity of his father. Of his father's father. Of his…oh, well you get the gist. I'm talking generations of Crane's."

"My God. You didn't."

"I did." Massie nodded. "And before you asked how I managed the fraternity thing, I'll tell you. The email isn't anonymous. It's written by an angry ex-girlfriend. In the email, there's a forwarded message written from Landon's email urging her to abort their unborn child and a receipt from the clinic." He looked at her with raised brows. "Don't ask me what I had to do to get that. Considering that the fraternity he planned on joining just made amends with their sister sorority, a sorority known for its anti-abortion rallies, it was all just a matter of time before all the rumors spreading around about him got to them." Derrick looked at her in what could only be described as shock. He had expected her to be conniving, but this plan was ingenious. It was well thought out in a way that was almost frightening. This girl wasn't even sixteen years old yet.

"Are you dead set on the fashion thing? I'm pretty sure you're perfect for a career in the CIA."

Massie giggled and leaned in closer. "That's not even the cherry on top. Want to know that best part about what I did?"

"There's more?" He asked dubiously.

"The ex-girlfriend in the email? Her name is **Macy Flock**. Considering the nasty, hysterical message in my voicemail sent from him, I'm guessing he figured out who was behind it. There's just no way to prove it. You didn't need to worry. Nobody can hurt me and get away with it." She grinned proudly. Bean nuzzled in her neck and she held the tiny dog tighter.

"What about me?" Derrick asked looking up at her. This got her attention away from her dog. She looked back at him.

"What about you?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"I hurt you, didn't I? Back when we were together. I don't recall having the verbal shit kicked out of me or being publicly humiliated."

Massie sat still for a second in deep thought. "I guess that's true. It hadn't ever crossed my mind to treat you as I would any other person."

"Am I the exception to your rules, Block?" Derrick asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Of course not. I know exactly how to hurt you." Massie replied.

"Oh really? How?"

"By never speaking to you again." Massie replied without hesitation.

Derrick grinned. "You got me. So will you promise to never do it? To never hurt me like that?" He pleaded semi-jokingly.

"Absolutely not. I'm Massie Block. I'm ruthless."

"I bet you would for Warren Aspeth." Derrick disagreed.

"What makes you think that? And why are we talking about Warren all of a sudden?" Massie questioned.

"I just saw you two dancing at Skye's party. You seemed pretty chummy. Is he your new boy toy?"

"Puh-lease. I don't like Warren. I borrowed his iPod once and found out he listens to Nickelback." She said slightly appalled. "Like I'd ever date a guy who listens to Nickelback. The guy is funny and good looking or whatever, but no thanks." Massie looked down to see Derrick staring at her and shaking his head.

"Nickelback is _obviously_ a deal breaker." He said sarcastically. "I think you're crazier than I gave you credit for."

"How sweet of you to say. Besides, it's so much easier to be single. You only have to worry about yourself. And I am, if anything, a selfish creature."

"You're a creature alright." He joked. "Maybe that's why you're single."

Massie's jaw dropped. She grabbed her pillow and began to whack him in the face with it. He covered his face defensively, but she managed to get some hard hits in. Suddenly, he grabbed her and threw her back on the bed holding her down.

"Get offa me!" She squealed. She was angry, but laughing at the same time.

"I will if you promise to stop hitting me." He wrapped his thighs around her kicking legs until she was completely immobile.

"I swear I'll scream. My mom's downstairs and she'll hear." She warned.

"I'll just tell her who I am and that you snuck me up here. Then we'll both be in trouble. So go ahead. Scream." He challenged.

"She barely knows who you are. She found out about you about a half hour ago actually. I finally told her about us. I think she'll believe her own daughter over the complete stranger lying on top of her."

"How did she not know about me? You never told her?" He asked disbelieving.

Massie shrugged. "You never came up in conversation. Why? Does your mom know about me?"

"Yeah." He said as if it were obvious. "You were my girlfriend for a long time, Block. She got curious as to why I came home smelling like girl all the time. She knows what you look like too. I've shown her pictures. She's even acquaintances with your mom. How did your mom never find out about us?" He asked in genuine bewilderment.

"My mom tends to be inattentive to things that are right in front of her face unless they involve her personally. My guess is that your mom mentioned it dozens of times, while it flew right over my mom's head."

"Wow." He said wistfully. "I wish my mom was like that."

"You know what I wish?" She asked. "That you would get off!"

Derrick chuckled and slid down, allowing her to move, but he wasn't completely off her. She sat up smoothing out her hair as his head plopped down into her lap.

"This is nice." He said snuggling into her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What is?" Massie asked looking down at him, "My company or the proximity of your face to my boobs?"

"Both." He chuckled.

The next day at school went by quickly. The girls were paranoid that everyone had found out, but everyone went about their business as usual, and as the final bell rang they got their things and met up quickly at the entrance hall.

"Isaac's outside. Let's go." Massie ordered, quickly tying her scarf tighter around her neck.

"Kemp told me last period that the guys want us to wait for them." Alicia spoke up. "He said Harris is coming to get them in his truck and both of our cars can head over to your house, Mass."

They would be meeting their parents at the Block residence. Kendra Block had contacted them and they all eagerly agreed to meet to discuss the situation their kids had gotten themselves into before they went down to the police station. They all decided that it would be best if the kids were present so they could get a better understanding of what really happened and figure out what they were going to do.

Massie glanced at the clock at the end of the hall and sighed. "They have two minutes. Then we're leaving with or without them."

"Where are they?" Dylan asked impatiently. "The last bell rang almost ten minutes ago. That's plenty time to get their stuff out of their lockers and be here. I can revamp an entire ensemble in that time."

The truth was the girls were anxious. They were tired of this whole thing already and wanted to start getting the whole matter sorted out. None of them could wait any longer. Every second they weren't doing something, was a second that news could be spreading.

Claire blew her overgrown bangs out of her face and buttoned up her coat. "Let's just go."

At that moment, they heard loud male voices coming towards them. The boys strolled over immaturely pushing into each other.

"Hey. Are you guys ready?" Cam asked.

"No." Alicia said sarcastically. "We're just standing here for our health."

"Sorry. Dumb question," He murmured.

They went out to the two vehicles waiting for them in the parking lot and headed off to the Block estate.

The meeting with all their parents was, to say the least, slightly awkward. The Pretty Committee and the boys sat down by their respective parents who argued back and forth about the best approach toward the situation. They looked at each other wincing every time the words 'murder' and 'trial' came up.

"I can provide legal defense for all of our children. I just need you all to trust me when I tell you that I know what I'm doing. By the time I'm done with them, they'll have no case, if these kids are guilty or not." Len Rivera said sternly.

"Not, dad! Not guilty." Alicia admonished. "Gawd, what's it gonna take for you to believe me?"

"He does believe you, sweetie." Mrs. Rivera soothed. "It's just a lawyer's instinct to be prepared for both. Right, Len?" The Spanish beauty glowered at her husband.

"Of course." He said shrugging it off. "Now, before we head down to the station, is there anything that any of you would like to say right now? Anything you would like to mention or confess?"

This time, Alicia glowered at her father for his choice of words. Confess implied that they were lying.

"I have something to say." Claire whispered. Everyone froze. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons looked at her with nervous eyes. "It's about something I think I heard that night."

At the station, Detective Moakley and Falk approached them confidently.

"Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to meet you all." He said addressing their parents who in return gave him barely polite nods. "I'm Detective Moakley and this is my partner Detective Falk. We'd like to talk to each of your children separately. It's easier to ask questions when the influence of their peers aren't in the way. Are your attorneys here at the moment? If not, we can provide them with one." Detective Moakley asked.

"That won't be necessary. My colleagues are on their way. In the mean time, I can represent whoever you're speaking to first."

"I will be questioning the girls." Moakley stated straightening his tie. "My partner will do the same with the boys."

"First female up is Kristen Gregory. Please follow Detective Moakley. First male up is Cam Fisher. Please follow me." Falk spoke up for the first time. "As for the rest of you, please be seated in the waiting area. Coffee and other beverages will be provided per your request."

"How about a shot of scotch?" Dylan said under her breath. Massie gave her friend a little smile. She had been stuck in a frightened daze unsure of what was about to happen, but with that familiar comment from Dylan she was able to snap back into her regular self. The bitch had her game face on.

Kristen slumped into the ugly gray metal chair in the interrogation room and stared blankly at Detective Moakley. She noticed that his suit, though wrinkled from what she guessed was a hectic day, was expensive and well-tailored. She also noticed that he was handsome. He looked to be about in his late 20s-early 30s and his unruly blonde hair was the same shade as hers. Also, despite his tired appearance, his hazel eyes stayed aggressive and alert.

He sat down across from her and pulled out a tape recorder. Near the doorway, Mr. Rivera stood rigidly. She fleetingly wondered if Cam had a lawyer in the room he was in.

"Okay. Please state your full name and age please." He said pressing play.

"My name is Kristen Amber Gregory and I'm fifteen years old. I'll be sixteen next month actually." She added unnecessarily. Mr. Moakley didn't appear to react to her side comment though; instead he looked down at a sheet of paper and asked the next question.

"It says here that on the night of October 31st, you attended a Halloween party thrown by Skye Hamilton. Is that correct?"

"Yes." She answered inwardly sighing. Why was he asking her things he already knew?

"And you stayed for the complete duration of the party, yes?"

"Yes."

"During that time, did you at any point come into contact with a 16 year old girl named Regina Stein?"

"No. I did not. At least not that I was aware of. But it was crowded and I bumped into a fair share of girls. I either didn't know or recognize them because of their costume."

She was surprised to see him write something down.

"Did you see or hear anything that would call for suspicion?"

Her mind flashed to Claire's face when she stumbled back into that office. Did that count?

"No." She answered finally. Unfortunately, Detective Moakley noticed that little pause.

"Kristen," He said gently, "are you sure?"

"Y-yeah." Damn. She stuttered. "I mean. I didn't hear it, but Claire-" She stopped. This could do one of two things: clear their name or make them look even guiltier.

"Kristen, what did Claire hear?" He asked urgently.

"I don't know the details. You'll have to ask her." She replied.

"Okay, you're done here." He said quickly. "Mr. Rivera, I would like to speak to Claire Lyons. Now."

After Claire spoke to Detective Moakley, he ended the questioning. He and Detective Falk finally seemed to believe them, much to their relief. Their parents all looked at each other with half annoyance, half ease.

"Thank you for telling us." Detective Moakley said genuinely grateful. "Now we have a time frame for the murder. This brings us one step closer to finding whoever did this. Please call me if you remember anything else from that night." He handed each one of them a card. They nodded eagerly, ready to just get out of there already.

When Massie arrived home, she headed straight to her room. Her mother looked as if she wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so when she noticed Massie's desperation to be alone. She sat down on her bed and held Bean. She was so happy that this whole thing was over. The detectives had never even gotten around to questioning the rest of them. She didn't know what was going to happen now, but she was glad that she could start focusing back on normal things. Like the fact that Derrington had kissed her. Not on the lips, but not necessarily on the cheek either. It had been after they had left the police station.

"_Alright. I'll talk to you guys later." Massie said hugging the PC before they separated. She smiled at the guys wagging her fingers goodbye before turning and following her mom out to the car._

"_Block." Derrick's familiar voice stopped her. She turned around and looked at him expectantly._

"_What?" She asked. He walked closer to her so that they didn't have to call out to one another. He stopped just millimeters from her body. Her eyelashes brushed against his chest as she blinked and looked up at him._

"_My mom has invited everyone over at our house for dinner this Friday. She asked me to let your mom know. She can call and let us know if you're coming. You have the number, right?" He questioned looking down at her._

_She nodded, "Yeah. Tell your mom she says thank you for the invitation, please."_

"_Will do." He answered. "Ok, then. See you later." Suddenly he was leaning down and she looked at him bewildered. His right hand grabbed the side of her face and he pressed his lips against the patch of skin right next to her mouth. He held it there for about a total of two seconds, not enough time for her to even react. With that, she watched his gangly, but muscular body walk away without a second glance._

She sighed. They were friends, albeit flirty friends and she wasn't really that concerned with the kiss. She was more concerned with the look Detective Falk gave her as she exited the station. The 'I'm still not completely sure all you guys did back in that lounge office was talk, but at least I know that you're not murderers' look.

"You know what, Bean? Who cares?" She mumbled setting the black pug back down on the carpet. "I'm done with Derrington."

Claire sat frozen in fear in her bedroom. When she had arrived at home, her parents had told her that they were disappointed in her for not coming clean sooner with the information she knew. She kept her eyes averted to the floor and looked remorseful, a trick she had learned from Massie. Eventually her parents realized that she was sorry and just scared about what had happened. They sent her up to a room with a hug each and her mom offered to bring her up hot chocolate to which she agreed.

As soon as she opened her door, she knew something was wrong. For one, her room was freezing. The cold air from the wide open window was blowing. Why was her window open? Next, she noticed that her things had been tampered with. Her drawers were all closed, but something told her that someone had opened them and her bed looked as if it had been sat in, though she wasn't even sure if it was by her. The only things that were noticeably off were the things on her dresser. Her gut instinct told her that they had been moved around, even though she hadn't really had them organized any specific way. She shut her door and hurried over.

There, on her dresser, held down by a bottle of hand lotion was a piece of folded up white paper. Hesitantly, she reached for it. She shivered, unsure if it was because of the temperature of the room or this whole predicament. She took a deep breath and opened it. There, written in large typed letters:

SHHH…KEEP THAT CUTE LITTLE MOUTH OF YOURS CLOSED, CLAIRE BEAR. YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE QUITE THE DREAM TEAM. IT'D BE SAD TO SEE YOU GO. I'LL BE WATCHING.

She whimpered without even realizing it. She dropped the letter as if it were on fire and looked around panicking. With no idea about what to do first, she sat down.

That was almost ten minutes ago. She was still in her coat and hadn't even changed into more comfortable clothes yet. All she could hear was her erratic breathing. Suddenly, a loud knock on her door snapped her out of her dread.

"Claire, honey," Mrs. Lyons spoke up opening the door, "I've got your hot chocolate-oh," she squeaked. "Claire, it's so cold in here. Why did you open your window?" She put down the mug and went over to close it.

"Um," Claire fumbled to find the right words. Then, it hit her. I'll be watching. She couldn't tell her parents about this. "Oh, the heat was on too high when I left this morning. I guess I just forgot to close it. Sorry, mom."

"It's fine, sweetie." Her mother said brushing her apology off. "I made your hot chocolate just the way you like it, marshmallows included. Now, do you want to talk about anything? I can't imagine what's been going through your head since the party." She looked at her daughter pityingly.

"No. I'm okay. I'm glad I got that off my chest. I just wasn't sure, you know. That night I was really tired (and drunk). Still, it was wrong of me to keep it from you, especially since I wasn't even positive that I had only imagined it (that's because I hadn't)." She faked an exhausted smile. "I'm just tired. I've had a long day."

"Okay then. Go to bed." She kissed Claire lightly on the forehead. "You don't have to come down for movie night."

"Thanks, Mom."

As soon as the door was shut, she shot off her bed. She felt….angry and violated. She hated imagining someone coming into_ her_ room and touching _her_ things and looking at _her_ memories in the pictures that covered the walls. In a second, her mood changed back to scared. How did this person know that the police was asking them questions? How did they know who she was and where she lived?

She needed her friends. Now. Usually, she would just climb out the window and go to Massie's, but that didn't feel right especially after whoever wrote that letter had come through there. She locked her window quickly and shut the curtains and waited until she was sure her family was downstairs in the TV room. By now, the sun had set and any minute now it would be completely dark outside. This made her nervous. Grabbing the letter, she changed into her Ugg moccasins. They were super quiet and if she was careful, her parents couldn't hear her sneak out.

After tip toeing to the front door, she slowly unlatched the lock keeping her eyes glued to the hallway where the TV room was. She could hear a rom-com blasting at high volume and her family chattering away animatedly, but she was ready to run if there was any indication that she was about to get caught. When the door was open, she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and walked out shutting the door lightly. As soon as she was outside, Claire sprinted as if her life depended on it while simultaneously dialing Massie's cell. She picked up after two rings.

"Whaddup, ho?" Massie greeted.

"Come open the door for me."Claire panted desperately. "I'm outside. Hurry, Mass. I'm so scared." Claire heard the phone click ending the call. She suspected Massie was already on her way. She looked around at the dark backyard of the Block property. She had done this dozens of times, but she had never felt the sensation of a pair of eyes watching her before.

She jumped when she heard the door slide open, but breathed out in relief when she saw Massie looking confused and worried. She scrambled inside and shut the door, locking it.

"You need to call the girls. Emergency PC meeting as of right now." Claire demanded. Massie, seeing the fierce look in her friend's blue eyes, didn't question it. She already had her phone to her ear.


	9. Chapter 9

*I don't own the Clique series.*

**Three words. Broken. Laptop. Charger.**

**Luckily, last week I was finally able to get a new one. (BTW ****wow****, who knew they were so expensive?) It took me a while, but I was able to retrieve my work. Sorry if I made any of you think I was abandoning you. So here you have it, my lovelies. XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**P.S. Next chapter will be up soon!**

Chapter 9

"There better be a good reason why you called me here." Kristen growled stomping into Massie's bedroom that night, dropping her overnight bag sloppily in the corner. "I was catching up on the episodes of Dexter that I missed on Showtime." She was the last of the girls to arrive.

Massie rolled her eyes while filing her nails. "Sorry, but your little show can wait. Kuh-laire actually has something important to tell us." She said gesturing towards the pacing blonde. "Nawt that she will tell me. She wanted to wait until all of you bitches got here."

"So, what is it?" Alicia asked sitting up straighter, eager to hear what she suspected was gossip. Good gossip. "What was so important that you called all of us down here?"

Claire stopped and looked at them. She didn't know how to do this. _How do you go about telling your friends that they're being stalked?_ They all stared back at her in anticipation. She didn't want to be the one to ruin the calm demeanor the girls had regained after she finally talked to Moakley. It felt like every time they believed that they could finally relax and return to normal, something horrible would come in and ruin it. She watched as her friends got up and surrounded her.

As they got closer and were able to read her expression, they realized that whatever she had to tell them wasn't good news.

"Claire, what's wrong?" Kristen asked. She noticed that the blonde looked paler than usual, her skin fading into the color of her light hair.

She opened her mouth, but closed it again still unable to get the right words out. She let out a heavy breath of frustration at herself.

Seeing their frightened faces almost made her reconsider telling them. She didn't know how they would handle it. She certainly wasn't doing very well. Her face grew paler as she remembered the note in her pocket. She couldn't hold it in any more.

"When I got home and went upstairs to my bedroom, the window was open. Somebody had been in my drawers and looked through my things. The person left this on my dresser." She handed Dylan the paper and the other girls crowded around her. "They're trying to send us a message." After they all read it aloud, they looked at Claire to check if she was joking. By looking at the damage she was causing to her nail beds, they knew that she couldn't be.

"Holy Shit." Alicia gasped.

"That's really creepy." Dylan whispered.

"That's more than just creepy." Massie retorted. "That's a threat."

"We have to tell someone!" Kristen exclaimed immediately.

"No! We can't tell anyone. What part of **keep your mouths shut** aren't you getting?" Dylan barked.

"Dylan's right." Alicia agreed. "Whoever wrote this is under the impression that we somehow saw something. If we go to the cops to report this note, they're going to think we're spilling. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend any time looking over my shoulder waiting for some psycho to ax me."

"Well according to the letter, we _should_ be looking over our shoulders." Massie huffed. "Whoever wrote this has already been watching us."

At Massie's words, a chill ran down each girl's spine.

"Well unless it's more than one person, the only way they would be able to keep track of us is when we're together. Like right now." Kristen responded. Everyone's head turned to look out Massie's window. The girls all stepped far out from its view.

"This person wants us to be scared. Whoever it is, they're letting us know how easy it is to get to one of us. I'm guessing they can get more creative than climbing through a window. We have to be careful from now on." Massie said more to herself than to anyone really, her gaze locked on the carpet in deep thought. She had her hands on her hips and she, like Claire only a few minutes before, was pacing. The girls could easily see the fear oozing off of her features.

"And what about the boys?" Kristen voiced. "Are they being watched too? It says 'your friends'. Does that include them?"

"We have to assume so. We can't just _nawt _tell them that there's a possibility that someone is stalking them." Dylan admonished. "….Can we?"

"We'll tell them tomorrow." Massie answered. She both loved and despised how the girls looked at her as if she knew what she was doing. As if she could somehow fix it and make it go away. The shock of reading that note had hit her hard. So hard that not even _she_ could suppress her terror. Who was doing this to them?

"I hope you guys remembered to bring your overnight bags. You're not going home. I'm not letting any of you out of my sight when it's this dark outside. I know that we're all on thin ice with our parents already and sneaking out tonight will probably get us all into more trouble, but I'm gonna have to ask you to call your parents and let them know that you're here." With that, she walked over to her windows and swung the expensive curtains shut making sure not to leave even a tiny crack open.

As the other girls pulled out their phones and began grudgingly dialing their parents' numbers, Massie sent Derrington and the other boys a quick text. "Whatever u do, make sure 2 lock all ur windows 2nite. Im serious." She knew it was cryptic and might possibly freak them out, but she was too drained to explain. Despite the newest development of the soap opera that was their lives, in other words the disturbed killer now keeping an eye on them, she couldn't keep her eyes open any more. She reminded the girls which drawer had her extra pajamas in case they needed them and passed out on her bed.

The next morning, at the sound of her phone alarm buzzing, Massie woke up and sure enough, all the guys had texted her back.

**From: Derrick **

lol very funny, Block.

**From: Kemp**

huh?

**From: Josh**

r u okay, Massie?

**From: Josh**

Massie? Hellllooo?

**From: Chris**

did Dylan put u up 2 this? I already apologized for that prank I pulled. tell her im sorry.

**From: Cam**

will do ;) lol

Massie would have chuckled at their reactions if she wasn't so….what was the word she was looking for? Oh, yeah….**terrified**. She doubted any of them had listened to her. She just hoped that none of them had experienced any incidents like Claire had last night. She was eager to meet up with them today and tell them everything. Though she hated to admit it, the thought of being with a group of males made her feel safer.

Though they were only fifteen and sixteen, it was obvious that over the summer, they had officially stopped being little boys. With the awkward in-between stages behind them, they had turned into young men in what seemed like overnight. Along with several inches in height, they had developed broader shoulders and slight stubble on their chins.

Although Massie wasn't ever the type of girl to call herself a damsel in distress or need some guy to look after her, considering the circumstances, she couldn't deny that she needed them. This one time, she would quiet her stubborn refusal to look weak and agree that she probably couldn't fight off an attacker alone.

She looked at her friends slumbering peacefully in their sleeping bags on the floor. She loved these girls like sisters. It scared and angered her that some coward writing letters and sneaking into rooms thought that they could push them around. She would make sure that not a hair on their heads was touched. She was their alpha and she had to protect them.

She went to open the curtains and after a few seconds of hesitation, she left them partially ajar allowing very little light inside. She turned back around to find them all still immobile.

"Get up!" She shouted clapping her hands loudly. Slowly, the girls started to stir on the floor opening their eyes. "It's 7:00. Find a guest bathroom and meet me down in the kitchen in an hour. I know that you guys brought clothes, but feel free to borrow anything. Almost everything in my closet is fair game, _**except**_ for anything in the left corner. That's stuff I haven't even worn yet. Touch it and be prepared to get a beat down." She saw Kristen smile in response shielding her eyes from the sunlight peeking through the curtains. With that, she went to her own bathroom and shut the door.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at DA. Massie had told the girls that it would be best to avoid being alone, for the time being, at all costs. Since the hallways at school were relatively crowded, they were okay, but when classes were in session, they'd have to limit the bathroom breaks. Claire had suggested that the girls all wear flat shoes. It would be easiest to get to crowded areas where people were around, minus their sky high heels.

Massie wore a snow white wool pullover, dark grey Tory Burch narrow stretch corduroy pants, and Gucci ballerina flats.

Dylan had on Alexander McQueen skinny jeans, a black oxford shirt by Proenza Schouler, and silver strap-on flats by Salvatore Ferragamo.

Kristen wore taupe cargo pants, an orange oversized sweater by Theory, and flat brown knee high boots by Cole Haan.

Alicia wore a pale blue men's button up shirt and black straight leg plants by Ralph Lauren, along with bright blue metallic flats by Lanvin.

Claire had on an argyle v-neck boyfriend sweater, Alice + Olivia suede legging pants, and gray tall Ugg boots.

They all donned moderately heavy coats to stay warm.

Due to the recent drop in temperature, no one stayed outside in the mornings before class. The quad was completely empty and it looked frightening somehow today. Denwood-Ames Academy was a large assortment of stone buildings surrounded by the woods. The girls looked around in paranoia, eyes skimming the many trees around them for anything that looked suspicious, before walking inside hurriedly. That morning had been a silent one for the PC. No one had spoken on the car ride over, not that any of them seemed to notice. Each girl was far too deep in their own head to notice anything going on around them. They hadn't even bothered discussing outfits. Though they still made an effort to look fashionable, it was obvious that none of them were dressed up to usual standards. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to look like they really cared.

Inside the halls of DA, the PC for the first time in years, walked in on opposite feet distractedly keeping an eye out for any of the boys. When they were nowhere to be seen, the girls gave each other nods of acknowledgment, heading off to their lockers to get what they needed before the bell rang.

Alicia, so used to being in her heels, sighed and got on her tip-toes to reach for her lock. After entering her combination, she opened her locker only to catch the reflection of someone tall standing closely behind her in the mirror. She whipped around quickly bumping into a hard body. She looked up to see Josh standing there grinning. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me." She whispered.

"Sorry." He said with a bemused expression. "Who did you think I was?"

"No one." She said uncomfortably. "You're just…. standing kind of close." She didn't want him to be too aware of her appearance today. Her face was splotchy and red from stress and lack of sleep and judging by his nearness, he could probably tell. She felt like going home and crawling under the covers. She knew she should tell him about the note, but a tugging feeling in her stomach wanted him to ask. To notice that she wasn't okay.

Josh smiled, but made no attempt to move back. His face showed no signs of realizing either her discomfort at his nearness or her obvious frazzled state. She sighed again and turned back around reaching for her schedule.

_Same old Josh. She thought bitterly._

It irritated her to know that, even during the time they had dated, unless she was blatantly crying her eyes out, Josh would never be able to notice that something was bothering her. In fact, he had never really paid much attention to her at all. Even when she made it known that she was upset, he would shrug it off, expecting her to get over it without even asking what was wrong in the first place. And time and time again, she did just that. She got over it and pretended everything was okay. That was what had ultimately ended their relationship.

She could remember that day like it was yesterday.

_Alicia ran her fingers through her dark locks and closed her eyes. _

_Again._

_He forgot __again__._

_She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind, startling her slightly. She could feel his lips begin to caress her neck. Normally, she would smile and enjoy the little moment they were sharing, but she couldn't this time._

_She grabbed his arms and yanked them off of her, pulling away. She paused, not turning around to look at him yet. She could feel his confused frown on her back. She didn't even know what to say to him. Then it hit her._

"_Did you notice that I'm getting a rash?" She asked turning to face him suddenly. Just as she expected, his face contorted into one of bewilderment. She knew it was a strange question. He didn't answer. _

"_No? Well, I am. See? Right here." She lifted up her sleeve to show him. "All up my arm."_

"_Rash or not, you still look hot to me." Josh shrugged smirking. He stepped forward trying to draw her back to him. She stepped back out of his reach again._

"_I get them during the fall a lot. The harsh wind dries out my skin so I usually tend to avoid being outside. Except, you know, now that I come to think of it, I __**have**__ been spending an awful amount of time outside."She waited a beat for a response. When she didn't get one, she continued._

"_I'd say I spend most of my time outside when…..let's see…oh. Yeah….when I come to watch your games." Her voice was still calm which surprised her. Josh's face was now impassive. She realized she was rambling, but there was a point to this whole spiel. She just hadn't got to it yet._

"_Every__ single__ game, Josh. I've been to every single one. Can you imagine?" Still nothing from him. "I don't know if you've realized, but I __**hate**__ soccer. I hate sitting out on the uncomfortable bleachers for two hours. I hate the __**stupid**__ random girls that stand on the side lines and wear your numbers painted on their faces, even though they've probably never even had a conversation with any of you. I hate how aggressive you guys get. I'm always-" her voice wobbled a little, "always __**so**__ worried that you're gonna get hurt. And gawd I hate the look on your face when you guys lose." She stopped to look at his face. Sill impassive, but he seemed to be taking offense to her words now. Good._

"_But," she bit the inside of her cheek until it hurt, "but I __**love**__ when you win. I love seeing how happy you are when the game's over and you know you've won. I love when you're all sweaty and you look into the crowds for me and I'm just waiting for that cheesy moment when your eyes to lock with mine, just so I can run and kiss you." She saw his face soften. "And nothing else matters. Not my dry skin, or the stupid girls, or the fact that my butt was getting numb from sitting for so long. None of it matters. Because you're __**happy**__." She whispered the last word. Her eyes began to tear up. "Your happiness is all that matters to me at that moment, Josh."_

_He looked at her in awe. This was the first time she had really opened up about how she felt. She could see his affection for her in his eyes. But she wasn't done._

"_What matters to you, Josh?" She sniffled as the tears spilled over. "Does my happiness matter to you?"_

"_O-Of course it does." He stuttered out. He shifted awkwardly, attempting to reach out to her. "Leesh, what's wrong, babe? I don't know what you're feeling right now."_

"_No." She agreed. "You don't. You never do, Josh and that's the problem. I asked you. Over and over again. I reminded you. Today. 3 o'clock. I finally got my chance, remember? I told you. My ballet teacher finally gave me the solo. I performed, Josh, in front of hundreds of people." She could see the realization dawning on him. He had forgotten. "Over a hundred people, none of them being you. You've missed every single one of my recitals, Josh and I've taken it lying down, but not anymore. Not anymore. Do you hear me, Josh?-"_

"_Leesh," he interrupted, "I'm so sorry-"_

"_Do you even HEAR me, Josh?" She cut him off beginning to raise her voice. "Cause sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a wall. Why aren't you hearing me? Am I not impressive enough for you?" She taunted. "Cause I'm not playing a dumb little sport? Cause I can't kick a little fucking ball into a net? Cause, __**unlike you**__, what I'm interested in actually involves using my brain?" She snarled condescendingly._

"_Stop it. What is your problem? Why are you acting like this?" She could tell he was pissed off now._

"_My problem?" She asked incredulously. _

"_Yeah, you heard me!" he shouted, "What's your problem?"_

"_You know what my problem is? You!" She yelled back with equal ferocity. "I'm tired and I've had enough! I've had enough of your bullshit! You can only give so much before you want something in return. I am __**always **__there for you, ready with open arms, and this one time, just this once; I wanted you to be there for me."_

_Josh raked his fingers through his hair out of frustration realizing that he was definitely in the wrong. "What do you want me to say?" He asked trying to do damage control._

_This time there is no damage control. Alicia thought wearily._

"_I don't want you to say anything. I'm tired." She whispered hoarsely wiping her eyes. And she was. She had burnt out all of her fuel. She had finally exploded, and now all she wanted to do was go home and cry._

"_I'm sorry, Alicia. I know that's not enough. I know you deserve a lot better, but that doesn't change the fact that I can't imagine myself with anyone else. Please don't do what I think you're about to do."_

"_I know that you're sorry." She said still unable to stop crying. She couldn't even see his face through her tears and her voice was embarrassingly high. "I'm sorry too. But it's not enough. It's never enough. We've been here before. I keep telling myself that if we keep finding our way back together, then we're meant to be. But we're young, Josh." She sniffled unattractively. "We're young and we're dumb. Who even knows what 'meant to be' means at our age? Honestly, I don't think either of us is even mature enough to handle a relationship this intense." She waited for his response, but she never got one. Josh was already storming away from her angrily. She allowed herself to feel bad for two days._

_Two days. And then it ended because two days later, he was dating Nina Callas, her archenemy._

_And her sadness was replaced with something much more powerful. _

_Rage._

But that was all in the past now, she reminded herself. She and Josh had promised each other that they wouldn't allow themselves to use the past against each other anymore. And she intended to keep that promise.

Truthfully, she knew that this time, she couldn't really be mad at him. He is a guy after all. She couldn't expect him to understand how to properly deal with her emotions. And she was just in a bad mood. She felt like she was slowly losing control over her whole life. Being part of the Pretty Committee, she had learned from Massie that being in control was more important than anything else. She and the girls thrived off the power of being in charge. How was she supposed to feel in charge with splotchy skin and no heels?

"Walk me to homeroom." Alicia ordered slamming her locker shut. She dropped a notebook into her bag before hitching it onto her shoulder and began to head down the hallway.

Josh took one look at her expression and grabbed her arm pulling her back. He looked to see if anyone was watching, then gently pushed her against a locker.

"What's wrong?" He asked giving her his signature arrogant little smile. "You're pouting." He brushed her bottom lip with his thumb.

Alicia looked up at him in shock. _He noticed_. _He noticed that your sad, Alicia. And you were mad at him. But he noticed. He __**noticed**__. He cares._

Without even realizing it, her face broke into a wide grin and she let out a breath and pulled him into a tight hug closing her eyes. He had no idea, but he had just made her day a whole lot better. The girls were great, but she couldn't really expect them to worry about her, seeing as they were going through the same thing. She just really needed someone to care about her right now.

"Thank you." She murmured into his chest.

"You're welcome? I guess…" He answered in equal confusion and amusement hugging her back. "Glad I could be such a great help."

It was lunch time and the PC all sat at the new table 18. Their meals remained untouched as they waited impatiently for the guys to arrive. They had agreed that it would be best to tell them together and since it proved to be physically impossible to get the whole group gathered together in the hectic morning schedule, they had agreed to wait until lunch. As always, the guys weren't on time.

"So…did anyone experience anything weird today?" Kristen asked. When everyone shook their heads telling her no, Dylan decided to bring up what had been on her mind since they had walked into the building that morning.

"So I've been thinking." She said disrupting the silence that had once again taken over. The girls all turned to look at her with unreadable expressions.

"Nothing really has to change, you guys." She said softly. "We can continue to live our lives normally. As long as we don't do anything this person might consider suspicious, they'll be happy. And we'll be safe."

There was a pause as the others deliberated in their heads what she telling them.

"I agree." Kristen spoke up. "I mean, it'll take time, but I think after a while it'll get easier for us to ignore the idea that someone is watching us. That is, **if **they're watching us."

"You're right." Alicia mumbled, "If they were at the party, then they _must_ still be in high school, right? They can't watch us all day _and_ go to school. Besides, why should we give whoever this is the satisfaction of watching us squirm?"

It was obvious that they were all trying to rationalize the situation.

Being stalked was like trying on a pair of heels for the first time. It was painfully uncomfortable at first, but after awhile they could learn to adapt and ignore it.

"I think," Massie chipped in, "I think you guys have a point. It's not like we have anything to tell the cops anyway. We should be fine. The boys don't need to know."

"Don't need to know what?" Kemp questioned sliding his chair in with the rest of the guys.

"How did none of you see them coming?" Massie growled softly under her breath as the girls looked at her with widened eyes.

"We didn't mean you." Dylan blurted trying to back track. "Not you….boys. We were talking about another group of boys."

"Oh yeah?" Josh asked in amusement. "Who?"

"No one important." Claire broke in.

"Warren and his friends." Massie said at the same time. They locked eyes and had a silent conversation.

"What business do you guys have with Warren and his friends?" Derrick asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing." Massie was frustrated. She could barely look any of the boys in the eyes. What was wrong with her? Lying usually came to her without any effort. "Payback. For a prank they pulled."

"What prank?" He pressed.

"Derrick?" Massie asked instead of answering.

"Hmmm?" He answered.

"Remember how you guys owed us that favor? Well here it is. I'm asking you to drop it."

"Drop it?" Chris raised his eyebrows. "What's so important that you're keeping it from us?"

"Yeah." Cam agreed. "You've all been acting really weird today. And not in the usual way."

"You're being secretive." Derrick declared.

"And you're all wearing flat shoes. I've noticed that you're all, like, a foot shorter today." Cam exaggerated.

"So what's up?" Massie saw Derrick's eyes flicker towards the folded up note on the table. Claire noticed too and tried to discreetly put her hand over it, covering it. Before she could, Kemp who they hadn't realized was being observant grabbed it.

"What's this, hm?" He chuckled.

"Nothing. Just some scrap paper from Geometry." Claire responded trying to act nonchalant. "Give it to me so I can go throw it in the garbage." She held her hand out.

This caused all the guys to narrow their eyes. Claire had geometry _after_ lunch.

"Open it, Kemp." Derrick ordered. At that moment, Kristen leaped on top of him lunging for the note. As her hand made a grab for it, he pulled it just out of her reach.

"Stop it!" Alicia cried. "Give it back to her. That doesn't concern you!"

Josh, who hadn't yet moved, got up and snatched it out of Kemp's hand. Without warning, he opened it and read it. He froze, furrowing his brow. The PC all froze with him. The guys looked at his reaction waiting for him to explain what was going on.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked diverting his attention to Claire. His face was serious.

"What is it, man?" Chris asked standing up. In response, Josh slammed the note down on the table where the rest of them scurried to read it. When they did, all the amusement was wiped off their faces, and they looked up at the girls in a mixture of confusion, worry, and anger.

"Answer the question, Claire." Cam demanded.

"In my room." She answered sheepishly averting her eyes to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Cam said as if he had heard her wrong, "did you say in your _room_?"

When Claire failed to answer, Dylan decided to save her. _The jig was up now. They might as well tell them._

"Someone got into her room through the window yesterday before she got home from the questioning. It was lying there on her dresser. They even left the window open. She says she thinks whoever it is went through her stuff." It took the boys a few seconds to process what the red head had just told them.

"How could you not think it was a good idea to tell us this?" Kemp asked outraged. Kristen, who was still in his lap, got off of him abruptly.

"Are all of you **stupid**?" Cam fumed. "That's a death threat."

"We know what it is." Massie glared at him. "And for god sakes, keep your voice down." She glanced to check to see if anyone in the cafeteria had noticed their little disagreement. A few people were watching from the corners of their eyes, pretending not to listen.

"Are you crazy? Why the hell don't the cops already know about this?" Derrick growled dropping the volume.

"Because," Kristen voiced, "what are the chances they'll catch this person with that little piece of evidence? Then whoever this is, finds out that we tattled and we have a ticked off killer out on the loose after us. He or she is telling us to _not talk to the cops_ and we're going to do exactly that."

"They have special ways of finding this stuff out. They could maybe get a fingerprint off the letter or something in your room." Chris assured.

"Really?" Dylan bit out angrily. "Don't you think someone who is smart enough to sneak in and out of her room, conveniently at the time she wasn't home, and leave a typed note would think to wear gloves?"

"You never know."

"The same person, who at this very moment, has gotten away with _murder_. In case you haven't noticed, there have been no new developments on that case. This person is no regular dummy."

"Okay." Kemp shrugged admitting they were right. "Fine. Maybe telling the cops wouldn't have done you any good, but what about us? Thank God we got here when we did or we would've missed the little tip off at the end of that conversation. I can't believe you were actually gonna keep this from us. Something this big."

"What if something had _happened_ to one of you?" Josh hissed worriedly.

"Nothing would have happened." Dylan tried to assure them. "But just in case, we dressed more comfortably. Hence, the flat shoes. You can't run for your life in Christian Louboutins." She joked feebly.

"That's not funny." Chris spat.

"It really isn't." Derrick said in agreement. The PC, even Massie, all looked away guiltily. It was kind of funny how only the day before, their parents had given them lectures, but none of them felt the slightest bit ashamed about lying. Somehow, doing the same to the guys made them feel like they did something wrong.

"From now on," Derrick began, "you girls don't go anywhere alone. I don't care if it's the bathroom. One of us will stand outside and wait for you."

"That is nawt necessary!" Alicia protested.

"It really isn't." Claire grumbled throwing Derrick's previous words back into motion.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But until we can trust you to be responsible again, we're not taking any chances." Derrick said in finality.

Massie scowled and stared into Derrick's brown eyes as he looked back into hers. "This is exactly why at the last minute, we decided against telling you. You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Besides, who do you think you are bossing us around? You don't own us. We don't need your "protection." She realized that this was a complete 180 from what she had been hoping for this morning, but she didn't care. She hated that the boys looked at them as if they were too dense to comprehend what was happening. It was a blow to her pride.

"Are you kidding me? You don't think something like this," he gestured towards the note, "merits some fucking protection?"

"What about all of you?" Claire asked stubbornly. "This note includes you. You were there that night too. Who's looking after you?"

"Don't worry about us." They said altogether. The PC rolled their eyes. They refused to back down. The last thing they wanted was the guys following their every move. They might as well have added five new stalkers to the list.

"How about a compromise?" Kristen asked raising her eyebrows. She was the most calm out of the whole group at the moment. "We'll refrain from going anywhere alone. At least for a little while. And…" she scrambled to think of other terms to get the guys to agree, "We'll call you anytime anything unusual happens." She felt like she was pleading with her parents to extend her curfew. The boys showed no hint of budging though.

"Look. All we have to do is stop talking to the police, which shouldn't be too hard considering we have nothing to tell them anyway, and we're okay." Dylan reasoned. "We don't need bodyguards. So, please. Just stop. We're sorry and from now on we'll tell you absolutely everything." The girls nodded and looked at them hopefully.

When the other guys failed to answer, Cam spoke up. "Okay." He relented sighing.

"We're serious, though." Derrick said, going along with it. "Nothing concerning that night can be kept a secret. We have to all be honest with each other. You can't just-"

"Okay, Okay. We get it. No more secrets." Massie interrupted while dragging him down back to his seat. "Sit. Eat." She slid over grilled chicken sandwich wrap to him. Everyone followed and proceeded to return to their seat.

"What is this?" Chris wrinkled his nose leaning in to smell Dylan's Kashi Lemongrass Coconut chicken. "It smells rancid."

And just like that things were back to normal. When the boys weren't looking, the PC all exchanged triumphant glances.

That afternoon, at the Rivera estate, the ten of them sat comfortably in the den. The guys had gone ransacking through the kitchen cabinets for food and found a large bag of marshmallows and shish kabob sticks. They made do with what they had, and began making s'mores using the fireplace.

"So," Massie said distractedly shuddering at the number of marshmallows stuffed in Cam's mouth, "About your bachelor's auction. Your first tux fitting is tomorrow. I've already emailed all the other guys on the list who've signed up to do this."

"About that…" Chris spoke. "Me and the guys already talked. Forget about the auction. That's the least of your worries right now with everything going on and all."

"**NO**!" Massie said roughly. "We're doing this. Stalker or no stalker, this auction will go on as planned."

"You're not serious." Cam scoffed.

"Of course we are!" Alicia protested looking shocked. "I sent out invitations a long time ago. The girls at DA are soooo excited. They're practically kissing the ground we walk on. We're nawt gonna bail out of this because of some stupid _note_. Are you kidding me? My mom got us the freaking Skylight Banquet Hall."

"I don't know what planet you girls live on where some stupid auction is more important than a potential threat to your_ lives_, but we're the ones who hired you in the first place and if we say no, it's no." Josh clarified. Knowing them, he caught onto their thoughts. "And before you go on plotting to do this without us, think about it. What would be the point of raising money for the soccer _team_ without any actual soccer _players_?"

They knew he was right about that. Without them, the main bachelors of the evening, this whole thing would be incredibly pointless. Plus, if these guys dropped out, chances are the other bachelor's would too.

"Why **naaawt**?" Kristen whined in defeat, shoulders falling into a slouch. The corners of her mouth fell adorably.

"I think it's pretty obvious why not." Kemp said completely immune to her sulky face. He had learned from experience not to fall for that face.

"But we really need a distraction right now."Claire frowned. "I can't stand being on edge anymore waiting for something to happen."

"Well find another distraction." Chris voiced. "There are plenty of other ones."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Alicia asked with a look identical to Kristen's.

He sighed in annoyance and shrugged. "I don't know. Like shopping. You guys always seem to enjoy that one."

"But we _always_ do that." Dylan groaned. "Besides, shopping is only fun enough to be distracting when you have a special occasion in mind. This is perfect. Come aawwwn." She looked at Massie for help, but noticed her alpha was barely paying attention any more. Massie's piercing gaze was locked in the dwindling fire. It was odd to see that instead of sitting up impeccably straight as usual, she was lying back on the couch with a hand lazily twirling her hair.

Derrick, who was quickly growing tired of their whining, interjected. "Whatever." He said exhaustedly. "Do whatever you want. Throw the auction. But if anything weird happens, anything at all, like that freak shows up, you guys no longer have a say in how we handle the stalker situation anymore."

"Ugh. Can we please not call it that anymore?" Claire cringed.

"Call _what_ that anymore?" He asked.

"Stalker. I hate that word. It freaks me out."

"Well what do you propose we call it then?" Josh questioned scoffing. "Is 'lovely neighborhood watcher' better for you then?"

"Stop being a dick." Alicia scowled at him. "I, personally, don't care for that name either."

"Why don't we give him another name then?" Dylan suggested.

"Or her." Kemp hastened to add. "We don't know it's a guy."

"Okay, not to be sexist or anything, but I ahwn-estly don't believe it's a chick." Kristen voiced. "I mean I did at first. In the note, the person used little phrases like "Claire bear" and "dream team." I think we can all agree that it's either highly unlikely or really odd that a guy would say something like that. But then I thought about it. I mean reeeally thought about it. And well…" she tilted her head hesitantly. "Regina and her killer were able to walk right past the room we were standing in without us noticing. Which means she must have gone willingly. However, her friends all had alibis. It couldn't be one of them. SO I put myself in her shoes and I began to wonder. Who would I go somewhere alone with willingly? Ahbv-iously someone I didn't think would kill me. And if my friends are out of the question, then it's probably a guy I'm into. The only reason I could come up with why she would go off with this person is to hook up. Then it hit me. OMG her killer is totally a dude!"

Everyone was dumbstruck. It was easy to forget how smart Kristen was when she started her sentences with OMG. In all honesty, none of the girls in the PC were actually dumb. The fact that people sometimes believed they were served as an advantage though. Underestimation helped them get out of trouble more times than they could count.

The room was tense for a second as their thoughts rushed back to the night of Skye's party.

"Guys?" Kristen asked worriedly. Her question snapped the group out of their reverie. This was good news. They were one step closer to nailing this freak.

"Ten years from now, babe. I can already see it. Kristen Gregory. Sexy Lady Detective." Dylan joked successfully lightening the mood as each person broke into grins and low chuckles.

"Seriously, it's sooo effing hawt how smart you are." Massie smirked finally rejoining the conversation. "If I were a dude, I'd toe-dally do you."

"Heck, even as a girl, if I were drunk enough." Dylan purred wiggling her eyebrows devilishly in a very Plovert-esque manner, emitting laughter from the girls. Alicia gave her a high-five in agreement.

There was an evident smile beginning to form on Massie's heavily glossed lips. "Whatever, who am I kidding? I'd definitely go for one of you girls with enough Peach Schnapps in me." She crawled suggestively onto Claire's lap, who in turn just threw her head back laughing as if that were the funniest thing she'd heard in ages. The boys sensed each other's mutual shock at this little disclosure. Kristen's giggles radiated throughout the room somehow lifting everyone's spirits. They were back to their regular teasing mood.

"Remind me to get all of them reeeeally drunk one of these days." Chris muttered to his friends under his breath. "If they start makin' out in the process, hey, who are we to stop them?"

"Already on it." Kemp answered his eyes never leaving the weird (in a good way) interaction between his ex-girlfriend and her friends. The guys watched with interest as the PC playfully made sexy eyes at each other.

"A." Claire said breaking the moment. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What?" Both Alicia and Kristen asked at the same time.

"Our stalker's name. On Pretty Little Liars, remember? That's what they call theirs." She explained. "How do you guys feel about A?" The PC let out an "ehmagawd that's an ah-mazing idea" gasp and gave her approving looks.

Josh shrugged. "I guess. I mean I've never watched Pretty Little Liars, but-"

"Oooooh then allow me to explain!" Dylan said cheerfully, "it's about these four girls who are ex-best friends who split up after the mysterious death of Alison, their alpha. A year later, they start getting these creepy messages from someone who calls themself "A". Somehow "A" knows all their secrets, including the ones only Alison knew, but she's y'know _dead_ so… therein lies the paradox or whatever. Anyway "A" threatens to expose all their secrets and starts to basically ruin their lives. This storyline totally makes sense when you compare it to ours."

"Why? Because you're pretty or because you're liars?" Cam chuckled receiving a pat on the shoulder from Josh. Claire tossed a couch pillow at his head which he gracefully ducked. Neither she nor the other girls seemed to take that much offense to his jab though.

"_No_," Alicia said gleefully. "Because we have so much in common with the characters. Think… a mixture of Spencer's wardrobe, Emily's athleticism, Aria's sex appeal and Hanna's overall badassness and you've got yourself our very own Pretty Committee."

"Athleticism?" Chris grinned. "Please enlighten me, Leesh. Besides Kristen and soccer, which one of you is even a little bit athletic?"

"Um ex-cuse me," Massie defended, "Leesh is a dancer, and as for the rest of us, on top of our workout Sundays, we get **at least** an hour of cardio hauling ass at the mall." Everyone began laughing at the typical Massie answer. Massie, herself, could not keep a straight face and laughed with them.


	10. Chapter 10

***I don't own the Clique. Or anything else recognizable.***

**I intended to have this up quicker, but I made some last minute decisions concerning the plot so… Anyhoo… How are you? Good? Bad? Great? Horrible? Let me know in your REVIEWSSSSS!(hint.) Also, let me know what you got for Christmas so I can growl in envy. I desperately wanted a pillow pet and didn't get one. ARGHHH! Anyways, I love you guys (my readers) XOXOXOXO**

**BTW Shout Out to my most ah-mazing reviewer ****Spongefiend****…. You're awesome.**

Chapter 10

"Can I see the satin one in cream?" Dylan asked. With a curt nod, the salesman left in search of another tie.

Chris rolled his eyes pointedly at her and sighed shoving his hands into the pockets of his expensive D&G slim-fit one button tuxedo jacket. They stood in a private dressing room at Saks Fifth Avenue. Dylan had been picking out tuxes for different guys all day. Massie had given each of the girls a list of guys to dress and Chris had been the last one. She was in the process of picking out the perfect tie to complement both the deep black wool blend fabric of the tux and his envy worthy perma-tan.

"Can't you just pick one already? They all look fine to me." He grumbled itching to get out of there already. They had been in there for over an hour.

Dylan only smirked at his annoyance and took in his appearance. He looked hot. As always. But something about the tux made him even hotter. It gave him a very James Bond-esque handsomeness. She wanted to comb the dark brown mess on top of his head out of his eyes, but refrained from doing so. That would be pushing it. Especially with all the physical contact they'd been having lately. Ever since they had gotten close again, his hands always seemed to be on her. At times, he would play with her hair or draw circles with his finger down her back. It was borderline romantic. She wasn't sure if she should be stopping him.

At first she didn't really mind. She had been craving male attention ever since she and Cory had broken up, but now she had a feeling things were getting out of hand. She didn't want him thinking that she wanted him that way. He was exactly what she absolutely did not need in a boyfriend.

It was, without question, necessary that she steer clear of the disaster that would be a relationship with Chris. And it wasn't because of his enormous reputation as a bad boy, like most people would think. That hadn't mattered to her in the past and it still didn't.

Though known for being a huge perv, Chris was actually really sweet. He paid a lot of attention to things that other guys wouldn't have and he had made her feel like a queen when they had dated, always giving her compliments and showing her off. He was definitely perverted, but she had a feeling that he often grew tired of being known as that guy. Sometimes, she knew, like all his friends, he genuinely wanted to be the guy with the steady girlfriend too.

At one point, she had been the girl that made him want to be that guy.

But look at how that turned out.

_Dylan sat on her bed looking at her phone, silently willing herself to call him._

_**Why was this so hard? **__He was her boyfriend after all._

_There was a time when they were so comfortable around each other. They could tell each other anything and everything. Now… not so much. He had gradually been pulling away from her. Admittedly, she was guilty of beginning to pull away first. The PC had had another huge fight. This one had been so bad that she had actually feared them splitting apart for good this time. With a lot of effort on her part, the problem had been fixed, but she had been so focused on rebuilding their friendship that she had neglected her boyfriend. When she apologized, he had forgiven her, but she could tell he didn't mean it. Some part of him was angry with her for some reason and she didn't know how to fix it. _

_For weeks they had been tiptoeing around each other, giving each other fake smiles and even worse, fake kisses. Oddly enough, he was still __**very**__ into kissing her, but she could only sense roughness and lust when he did._

_It wasn't how it used to be. He wasn't the same. There were little times, when he used to just stop, mid-make out, and look into her eyes and he would laugh, never explaining what he found so funny. She would stare back into his beautiful deep blue-green eyes as they crinkled at the corners and laugh along with him, not caring that she had no idea why. Then their teeth would knock against each other and they would begin kissing again._

_She didn't know what was going on. She just wanted this awkward…thing...between them to be over and done with already so they could start acting like the couple they used to be._

_As if he were reading her mind, her Blackberry rang. It was him. Shaking off her nerves, she answered it._

"_Hey." She said softly._

_Pause. _

"_Hey." He answered back just as soft._

"_What's up?" She asked not knowing what else to say._

_Longer Pause._

"_Dylan." He responded instead of answering her question. "I…. I've been thinking…"_

"_Ooh really?" She said trying to lighten the mood. "That's a first."_

_She could hear him sigh on the phone. It wasn't an angry sigh though. It was more….sad._

"_Just…hear me out, okay? Before you say anything. Just hear me out." He sounded nervous._

"_Oh." She mumbled. "Kay. Go on."_

"_I just don't know how to say this."_

"_Chris." She said solemnly. She knew this couldn't be good. Every single thing she could imagine him saying right now could only end with one result. Her in tears. "Just say it."_

"_I just don't know how I feel anymore."_

"_About what?" She asked though she already knew the answer._

"_You."_

_Pause._

"_What do you mean?" She knew she should just hang up right there, but part of her wanted to hear it. His latest excuse for treating her the way he did. Like she was dispensable._

"_I mean… I don't know what I mean. I just know that every day when I see you, a part of me feels so in love with you and a part of me doesn't. I don't even know which part is winning."_

_Pause._

"_Say something." He practically begged._

"_What do you want me to say, Chris?"She growled, angry at how clearly upset she sounded. Massie would never let Derrick hear her sound this way._

"_Whatever you're thinking."_

"_I'm sorry…. I can't hear my thoughts over the sound of you breaking my heart __**again**__."She said quietly. _

_He listened to her as she tried to be silent about the tears now falling down her face._

"_Don't say that." He whispered. She could hear genuine sorrow in his voice, but she couldn't bring herself to care._

"_Don't say what? The truth? That you're breaking my heart again? Cause you are. What is this... the __third__ time you've broken up with me this year?" By this point, her voice was cracking uncontrollably making it impossible for him to not hear her breaking down. "Gawd and I keep coming back. Like an __**idiot**__!"_

"_Don't say that. Don't ever say that."_

"_I am, Chris. I'm an idiot."_

"_No you're not. I'm the idiot."_

"_Yeah, you are. Just not as much as I am."_

"_Just please, Dylan!" He pleaded. She thought she could almost hear him start to cry too. Almost. "I haven't even decided if I want this to be over."_

_She laughed bitterly. "Oh! My apologies, Mr. Plovert for not taking your feelings into consideration. I forgot. You haven't decided yet if I'm worth it! I'm supposed to wait around until you're __**positive**__ that you want to dispose of me!"_

"_C'mon you know I didn't mean it that way."_

"_Bull. That's exactly what you meant!" She cried harshly. "I am nawt a piece of trash that you can keep throwing away and picking up again!"_

"_That's not what I want-"_

"_What __**do**__ you want, Chris? What's keeping you around? What do you want from me? Why do you keep coming back? And most of all, why do I keep letting you come back?" She sniveled, feeling another pool of tears descend down her cheeks._

_Pause._

"_I just need time, Dylan. Please just give me some time."He sounded desperate._

_She shook her head despite the fact that he couldn't see her. "I've given you __**enough**__ time. It's either you want me or you don't. There are no in-betweens."_

_Pause._

"_There. Thank you. Thank you for giving me my answer, Chris. Goodbye. For the last time goodbye." Then she hung up._

"Miss? I've got the tie you requested." The salesman snapped her out of her flashback. She gave him a fake smile and took it. She barely looked at it, her mind still elsewhere.

"It's perfect. Ring it up please." She saw Chris let out a sigh of relief out of the corner of her eye. He stepped down from the stepping stool.

She gave him a phony smile. "You look great." Though she didn't know why, thinking about their breakup made her sad. "C'mon. Let's go see how everyone else is doing." She grabbed his hand and walked him out of the dressing room.

The rest of the PC stood outside with about twenty other guys, all dressed in tuxes.

"Girls, I gotta say…. We did good…" Massie said watching Chris and Dylan exit the dressing room. She observed all the well dressed guys standing in front of her. She grinned proudly.

Derrington looked especially handsome in his gray Giorgio Armani tux. He was talking to Archer Jeffries, one of the Centaur defenders. Next to them, various other athletes from the lacrosse and rugby teams were helping to support their buddies on the soccer team by being in the auction.

"Father, forgive me for I have sinned." Alicia said under her breath to the PC trying to cover up her gleeful smile. "I've been having very, _very_ lustful thoughts."

"I know!" Claire mouthed to her with wide eyes fanning her face comically.

"Um, excuse me." The sales manager came up to Massie and the girls. "I know that we allow tux fittings, but unless all these boys are here to _purchase_ them, which I highly doubt," she turned up her nose snootily, "then I'd have to ask them all to take them off and kindly leave. It is beginning to get quite crowded in here." She has pale thin, red hair, nowhere near as beautiful as Dylan's and her lipstick was a severe candy apple red that gave her small lips a sour expression.

Massie looked up at her with vacant eyes.

Claire recognized that as the look she used on Skye or Duh-livia when they tried to get fresh with her.

The sales manager, Justine, as it said on her name tag, looked taken aback by the young girl's indifference to her obvious command. Teenage girls came in all the time and when sales workers were getting fed up with loitering, they usually called in Justine. Within five minutes, she was proud to say, they were usually gone. She always gave the same ultimatum. 'Buy something or get out.' Seeing as they usually couldn't afford it, they did so quickly with shy embarrassment.

Massie continued to stare blankly. Suddenly, the corner of her mouth twitched. The rest of the PC seemed to know what was coming.

It was a pretty big deal. Massie hadn't done this in so long. Not since they were at BOCD.

"Justine, are you a chicken egg?" As soon as the question left her mouth, Derrington, burst into laughter. His brown eyes shined in delight at the prospect of witnessing the old Massie Block, the one he had once been so fond of. Cam, Chris, Josh, and Kemp looked happily surprised that she was actually going to do this. The rest of the boys seemed to be just as confused as Justine was.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"I said, are you a chicken egg?" Massie repeated slowly.

"No." The woman glared. "Why?"

"Cause you _ahb-viously _need to get laid." Derrick fell on the floor unable to breathe from laughing so hard. The rest of the guys, catching on, let a few chuckles escape before awkwardly covering them up as they watched Justine's face turn as red as her lipstick.

"You little brat! Who do you think you are-"

Massie cut her off by taking out her Visa Gold Card and holding it out for her to take. Alicia and Dylan followed suit handing over theirs.

"Sorry, hun, no offense right?" Massie said with a sickeningly sweet expression.

Justine huffed before grabbing the cards and storming off.

Massie clapped turning to the group. "As for all of you boys, you look just as sexy as I thought you would." She purred. Many of them gave her flirty smiles which she returned. "Sad as I am to say it, these things weren't cheap, so you better get your asses back in those dressing rooms and start changing." Not surprisingly, they ran off, eager to get back into jeans and t-shirts.

"Excuse me." She said to one of the workers who looked a little frightened after watching how she took care of Justine. "I need all of those tuxes packaged up pronto." With a nod, the salesman scurried off.

"Massie Block, I cannot believe you just did that!" Kristen giggled. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. People all around the store were looking at them.

"Wow. The bitch switch must be on pretty high today, huh?" Claire asked. She seemed pleased though.

"Puh-lease. That was nawt the worst I could do. She'll be fine." Massie said with an uncaring flick of her wrist.

After fifteen minutes or so, the boys started to file out of the dressing rooms carrying the bags with their tuxes in them.

A few of them gave appreciative nods to the PC and went on their way, but a few stuck around. Five junior guys Massie recognized from the rugby team approached the girls. She raised an eyebrow at them.

The one who appeared to be their leader, Oliver Newton, rose his eyebrow back and gave her the once over. A tiny smile broke on her lips at his confidence. He was cute. He had deep dark eyes that held a hint of mischief in them. On the downside, he had a Mohawk. All the guys on the rugby team sported Mohawks.

She guessed it was cool in a way, but in reality she wanted to laugh her head off every time she saw any them walk down the hallway in their preppy blazers. It was a complete oxymoron.

"Nice to finally meet you, ladies. We've seen you around school. Never had the pleasure of introducing ourselves." He held his hand out to Massie. "I'm Oliver." She looked at it, then back at him.

She knew that he wanted her to shake it, but in an attempt to be charming, she lifted her hand as if she wanted him to kiss hers instead. It worked because he and the other guys laughed. She could feel the PC's shock at her boldness. Oliver leaned down and kissed it.

"I'll let them introduce themselves." Oliver said referring to his friends. His eyes drank her in greedily.

"I'm Steven." A blonde one said with his green eyes locked on Alicia.

She peered at him curiously through her dark lashes.

"Chris." One with light brown hair said to Dylan.

_What a coincidence._ Dylan thought wanting to laugh more than anything. _Another Chris._

"Denver." The blue-eyed raven haired one said to Kristen. He was the tallest of the bunch.

Kristen wanted to run. Something about him creeped her out. And it wasn't the way he was leering. She was used to pervy leering. After all, she used to date Kemp Hurley, the king of pervy leering.

"Eric." Lastly, the burly brown-eyed one said to Claire.

Claire gave him her usual sweet Claire smile. He seemed halfway in love with her already.

"Well," Massie voiced, "Nice to meet you. I'm Massie."

"Claire."

"Alic-"

"No need for introductions. We know who you are. Everyone's heard of the Pretty Committee." Oliver grinned devilishly.

"Is that so?" Kristen drawled unimpressed. Ever since Dune and her had broken up in July, she wasn't even remotely interested in dating an athlete.

"Positively so." Denver responded ignoring the disinterested look she was pointedly giving him.

"We just came here to ask you girls a question." Steven said stepping in. "We would like to know if you planned on bidding on anyone at the auction."

Dylan giving their question an amused snort was the only answer they gave.

"I'm going to guess that's a no." Steven chuckled.

"Why not?" Eric questioned.

"What would be the point in that? Why pay for something you can have for free?" Alicia asked. The funny thing was she wasn't being cocky. She said it matter-of-factly.

The guys rose their eyebrows. "I'm impressed." Oliver spoke up stepping closer to Massie than needed. "I think it's sexy when you girls are so confident that you could have any one of us if you wanted."

"Yes, well…" Cam said stepping in from the background. "The real question is _**if **_they want you." He smirked at the PC. Behind him, came the rest of his boys.

"And what if the answer is yes?" Denver asked squaring his already broad shoulders.

"Whether the answer be yes or no, it'll probably end up destroying you, leaving you a shell of the person you used to be. I'm just speaking from experience."

Claire scowled and pinched him, but he didn't even wince. He actually ignored her and stepped in front of her separating her from Eric.

The ex-boyfriends stood between the PC and the rugby guys, making a barrier blocking them from continuing their conversation, whether it was on purpose or not was still uncertain.

"Oh. I forgot. That's right. You guys used to date once upon a time." Rugby Chris said not looking the least bit deterred.

"Yeah," Soccer Chris answered, "once upon a time."

_Oooooh … awkward moment._ Kristen wanted to blurt out. She looked at Massie who seemed just as interested in finding out what was about to happen as she did.

"Were you guys finished up here or….?" Derrick inquired. "Cause we kind of need to talk to the girls about something… alone."

"Come on, Derr." Denver grinned devilishly. "We're all friends here. What's up? No secrets, right?"

Derrick didn't answer for a while and his face remained calm, but Massie could see his jaw tighten.

"You're right." He said finally. "But some stuff need to be kept private. Between us and us only. You understand, right?" With a "playful" punch on Oliver's shoulder, he grabbed Massie's arm and began to haul her away. "Come on, guys."

Massie whipped her head around only to see the other guys grabbing her friends' arms and dragging them along after Derrington.

Massie waited until they were outside and far from the other guys before she chose to say something.

"Wow, Derrick. Way to treat your friends."

"They're not our friends." Kemp answered for him. "They're like…what you guys are to Skye and her minions…. What's that called again?"

"You mean like Frenemies?" Alicia tried.

"Exactly!" Josh exclaimed. "They're such biters. It's kind of pathetic actually since they're a year older than us."

"Biters? What's that?" Claire tilted her head adorably.

"A biter is someone who is basically always trying to be you." Chris informed her.

"You mean like an LBR?" She asked. He nodded.

"I don't get it. Then why don't you just say that?"

"Claire," Cam chuckled shaking his head, "hell will freeze over the day you hear one of us using LBR in a sentence."

She sighed rolling her eyes. "Why do you think they're LB- I mean biters?"

"They copy everything we do." Derrick said with frustration. "They asked for new uniforms right after we got ours! They got varsity letterman's jackets right after we got ours! They miraculously show up to parties they weren't invited to a half hour after we arrive! The other day after they won their game, they took off their shirts and ran around the field! Can you believe them? _**Everyone**_ knows that's our thing. That's just to name a few. But we're drawing the line at our women."

Massie almost choked on her spit. "Either I'm having a seizure or you just said your_ women_." She laughed. "It's times like these where I wish someone was recording the crazy shit spewing out of your mouth."

"Shut up, Block you know what I mean. Going after some dude's girl, ex or not, without permission when you go around pretending to be friends, is just not done unless you want to get your ass kicked."

"We all went out, like, a bazillion years ago. I think permission to date other people is granted by now." Alicia murmured looking at them like they were crazy.

"So you're saying you guys actually want to go out with those douchebags?" Chris glared.

Dylan shrugged. "We're saying that if we wanted to, that it would be up to us to decide. You have no right to interfere." She wasn't even sure what she felt about Rugby Chris, but if there was any opportunity to drop some hints for Soccer Chris to back off, then this was one.

Kristen sighed. "Guys, relax. They didn't even ask us out."

"Not directly anyway. They were getting around to it eventually." Kemp frowned. His face crinkled in obvious agitation.

"Well they didn't. All they got to ask us before you jugheads butted in was if we were bidding at the bachelor's auction." Massie mused.

"**Are **you bidding?" Cam asked curiously.

"NO." They said simultaneously.

"We're throwing an auction, nawt participating in one."Alicia reminded. "That's for desperate girls."

"If it makes you feel better, we'll donate to the cause. No candlelight dinners or purchased boyfriends-for-the-night needed." Massie promised.

"Bid on us." Chris voiced. "We'll make it worth your while."

"NO." The PC repeated, this time with widened eyes.

"I'm feeling a little bit hurt." Josh put his hand against his chest. "Are you guys feeling as hurt as I am? These girls don't think we're worth the money."

"Like it even matters. We spend enough time with you as it is; Again I ask, what would be the fucking point of paying for something we can have for free?" Dylan questioned repeating the question she asked the rugby guys.

"You must be confused. At the auction, you'll be bidding on dates. Oh, I'm sorry, is this a date?" Chris said with faux innocence. "Well that changes things." The other guys laughed.

Even though their faces gave away nothing, Massie could tell by the other girls' lack of response to their teasing, that they were getting uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed.

"Ehmagawd, shut up. Even if we did bid, it wouldn't be on any of _you_." She snapped semi-jokingly. Part of her was annoyed and quickly trying to change the subject and the other part of her wanted to keep the mood light.

"Who do you consider better options? Enlighten us, please. Who, exactly, would you rather bid on, than us?" Derrick asked cockily. Though he said it in a joking way, it was obvious to Massie and the PC that both he and the other guys actually believed that it was unlikely to upgrade past a Denwood-Ames Soccer Star.

_Gawd, their egos were disgusting_. Uh hellooo… they were the freaking **Pretty Committee** for god sake. They could definitely do better.

"Rafi Gavron." Alicia blurted. "Senior class president. Ah-mazing smile. Plays with my hair sometimes when we say morning announcements together when he thinks I'm not looking."

"Tristan Greene." Claire responded quickly after her. "Also a senior. Funny. Tried to make out with me at Skye's party recently. Who knows? Maybe one of these days I'll actually let him."

A little smirk broke on Massie's face as she watched the guys pretend to be bored, giving fake yawns with the guys being named. She could tell they were listening intently though.

"Keith Donahue." Kristen said boldly. "Senior. Quarterback. Gorgeous body. Gives me hugs in the hallway. Calls me "KGreg". _How cuh-yute is that_?" She squealed jokingly.

"Teddy Harley." Dylan grinned raising an eyebrow defiantly. "Junior. Captain of the lacrosse team. Has 'liked' every one of my profile pictures on Facebook for the last…hmmm…2 months?"

It was silent as everyone waited for Massie's answer. She made sure her eyes locked with Derrington.

"Warren Aspeth. Junior. In spite of the fact that he listens to Nickelback," the corners of her red lips turned up sweetly, "he once wrote me a sonnet. If that's not charm, I don't know what is." She shrugged and turned away.

"Awww, Mass. You never told us he did that!" Claire chirped. "That's so cu-"

"So you lied, Block?" Derrick cut her off. His voice was unreadable. She turned back and saw him looking intently at her. She tilted her head as if to say 'about what?', "When I asked you if there was anything going on between you two. You admit you lied then?"

"No," she shook her head, "I didn't."

"Yes," he nodded, "you did. 'Like I'd ever date a guy that listens to Nickelback' you said."

"I know what I said." Her tone was cautious and her eyes narrow. "I meant it. I _**won't**_ date a guy that's listens to Nickelback. That's the truth. However, I'd go on _**one date**_ with a guy that listens to Nickelback. **If** he's a good friend of mine. Who also happens to write short stories about me and keeps a picture of me in his locker."

"He keeps a picture of you in his locker?" Derrick asked with slight disgust. "That's creepy."

"Why is that creepy?" She shot back. "We're close."

"That's what I'm asking you. How close?" His eyes narrowed also.

"Wait," Dylan interjected, "What are we talking about here? I'm confused."

_Me too._ Everyone else, not including Massie and Derrick, seemed to say telepathically.

"Close enough where it's not creepy that he keeps a picture of me in his locker." She said purposely being vague to annoy him.

"Oh, I'm Sorry…Do you keep a picture of _him _in your locker? It must be in that new invisible paper they invented right? Cause I don't recall ever seeing one." He jeered.

"_For your information_, I don't keep a picture of _anyone_ in my locker." She scowled. "I don't like keeping anything up for anyone to see."

"Correction. You don't like keeping anything up, except a** mirror**. God forbid the queen of vanity not be able to look at herself for a whole hour."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "You're one to talk about vanity Mr. Enlighten-us-please-on-who-could-possibly-be-a-better-candidate-than-me-and-my-boys-on-a-date! Cause y'know I'm such an upstanding fucking guy and all." She mocked in a fake guy's voice.

"I am fucking upstanding to put up with you." He bit out angrily.

"Put up with _me_? Now it's your turn, De-rrick. Enlighten me. What did I do or say that was so wrong that you're _this _pissed at me right now?"

"You knew how I would react when you said his name. You looked me right in the eyes as you said it. I asked you about your relationship with him and you denied it. I just don't know why you went out of your way to lie to me about it. Same old Massie. Playing games with no point to them. What, did you think I'd get jealous?"

"What are you even _talking _about? I looked at you because I thought it would be funny. Like an inside joke or something. If I had known that you would act like such a psycho about it, then I wouldn't have said it!"

"How would that be funny?"

"Because I'd be picking a sonnet writing, Nickelback listening guy over you! I thought you'd laugh. I didn't know me picking Warren would bother you so much. I could have given you _ten_ other guys' names that I wouldn't mind going on a date with. I'll do it right now if you want me to. Ooooh… Don't worry I'm not hooking up with any of them or anything. Like in the secret relationship you're absolutely stuck on accusing me of having with Warren. Have any of you heard?" She said acknowledging the others for the first time. "Based on Derrick's reaction, I guess putting pictures of people in your locker is the same thing as giving blowjobs now." She sneered.

Derrick chuckled bitterly at that last part. "Those junior and senior boys who seemed to have tickled your fancy so much think that's your specialty you know? Haven't you heard? That's what the sophomore girls are known for. Blowjobs." He said harshly. "These guys will tell you. We've all heard about it." The other boys looked away refusing to make eye contact. The other girls gasped and Massie stopped to look at Derrick's furious face. "So these guys, the ones who play with your hair and give you little nicknames and look at your Facebook pictures and write you horseshit poetry….these guys are really just waiting for you to drop on your knees. Cause that's all you're good for in their eyes."

"Not us." Massie whispered shaking her head. "Everyone knows that the Pretty Committee doesn't-"

"Doesn't what?" He questioned hotly. "Get down and dirty for every guy with flowers and a compliment? What makes you think they don't? For all they know, it's just a front you're putting on. Even if they did know, do you think they care? I'll tell you right now that the answer is no."

A vein was beginning to pop out of his neck from how forcefully the words were coming out of his mouth. "Do you think that they try that shit on everyone _**except **_for you five? They try it _**especially**_ on you. One of you to them is worth a hundred other random girls. It takes them a couple hours of attention to get the little insecure freshman girls on their backs with their legs open. But you, no, you're the cream of the crop. The **cherry** on top. You're like a commodity. You walk around like you're on air and nothing can touch you, and nothing irks them more than what they can't have. So forgive me if I'm a little wary about you and Warren, but don't tell me that you can do better than us because we are some of the very few guys in our school that actually give a shit about a girl's reputation. And believe me. We are maybe the **only** guys in our school, who care about _yours_."

Silence.

Derrick's breath was still quick from his rant.

Massie's eyes were closed and her head turned down making it impossible for anyone to see her reaction.

The rest of the PC looked like they were in shock at the outburst.

The rest of the guy's looked as if they wanted to apologize, but they chose not to do so. What Derrick had said was the truth. Each of them had heard these girls' names come up in locker room talk on dozens of occasions.

Until recently, most of the horny upperclassmen had no idea that they had dated the girls of the Pretty Committee, so they didn't bother trying to show discretion when they talked dirty about imagining what it would be like to get into their pants. Now that the big secret was out and they were friends with the girls again, conversations involved random guys eagerly asking them dirty details about what the girls had been like in the bedroom while they fought off the urge to throw a punch.

"Well then." Dylan said combing a hand through her hair. She tried to come up with something to distract everyone from the odd little tension in the group, but it didn't seem to work. So she left it at that.

"It's not a surprise." Kristen said. "It's just kind of…horrible when someone actually says it out loud."

It came as a shock to Claire though. She had heard the rumor of 10th grade girls giving "special services" in the abandoned 4th floor bathroom, but she didn't know that it was now common to believe a girl was a slut because she was a sophomore.

So far, she was positive that the Pretty Committee had maintained a pretty clean image. They didn't hook up outside of relationships and she was certain that they were all virgins.

The same, on the other hand, couldn't be said for the guys. During freshman year, the year the PC had hated them the most, they went buck wild. Duh-livia had bragged about sleeping with Derrington and there was really no hope that either Chris or Kemp kept it in their pants after their breakups with Dylan and Kristen. It was open knowledge that they had been on the rebound the whole beginning of 9th grade, and many girls clawed at the opportunity. Cam had dated Eva Giordano, a Vanessa Hudgens look-a-like who was expelled after she sent a series of nudie pics to every boy in school. She didn't expect him to have been innocent during that relationship, no matter how brief it was. As for Josh, if the pictures on Facebook of his wild vacation in Costa Rica weren't evidence of his nonexistent purity, she didn't know what was.

It was unfair. Why was there always a double standard? Why were guys allowed to get away with being total whores when she couldn't even wear so much as a short skirt without any scrutiny?

Finally, Massie looked back up. Her reaction was so very…. Massie. Unreadable. Creepily Calm. Eyes so bright that they burned.

"Thanks for informing me Derrick. It's nice to hear what I thought I was only imagining." Her voice was cold and robotic. "So it's true. Boys, at least high school ones, are never gonna care about a word I say or show any interest in me unless there's a chance that I'm gonna get naked. Thank you for opening my eyes. Now I feel so much better." She sighed and everyone held their breath. Suddenly, she blinked and her eyes stopped burning. "Who wants to get something to eat?"

"Mas-" Derrick started with a look of guilt.

"How about that Thai place down the block?" She ignored him. "I went there with Landon and his family last year. They have good Miso soup and I'm freezing."

Alicia, always the loyal beta, gave a fake smile, still unsure of what was up with her alpha, and hooked arms with Massie. "Sounds great, Mass. Let's go."

The rest of the group followed.


	11. Chapter 11

*I don't own the Clique or anything recognizable….,k?*

**Helloooooo, darlings. Sorry about the delayed update. I know. But guess what? It's officially exam review month for me. SO, it's a miracle in itself that I could find time to write. Anyway, thanks for the reviewsss! [: (so cute)**

Chapter 11

Massie sunk down on her expensive duvet cover and sighed. It felt so good to be back home.

The Block Family had just gotten back from Gstaad, Switzerland for holiday break. It wasn't very fun since her mother hadn't allowed her to invite her friends. _Or_ Bean for that matter. Kendra had threatened to take her credit card away if she didn't leave her precious pug back home with the dog sitter. Ever since Massie's father had returned from his trip and heard about the whole incident with the dead girl at Skye's party and the persistent detectives, he had been keeping her on a tight leash. At first she had fought them tooth and nail, but when he sat her down and told her he wanted them to spend more time together as a family, she, being the daddy's girl that she was, had relented and followed her mother's orders.

So, in the end, she had spent both Christmas and New Year's apart from her best friends. Dylan had gone to Aspen with her mother, the Lyon's had gone down to Florida, the Gregory's had spent their holidays at a bed & breakfast in Lake Michigan, and the Rivera's had gone to St. Bart's. The only way she managed to stay sane was by the emails they sent each other.

She was happy to say that even the boys had all sent her cute messages from their holiday destinations. Chris, Cam, and Kemp's families had vacationed together at a ski resort in Vermont, the Hotz family had stayed at Tucker's Point in Bermuda, and the Harrington's stayed at a hotel in the French Alps.

She found herself on the computer, for hours, every day of her vacation. With the girls, she had exchanged news about what they had each been up to, mostly stories about cool things they had bought while being away from home that they couldn't wait to show each other.

With the guys, however, she had been regularly updated about the outrageous (and admittedly funny) things they had all been doing. She found herself equally eager to hear from the guys as she was with the PC. It was weird. Without realizing it, she had gotten closer to these boys than she ever thought she would again. Even Derrington.

She didn't understand why she hadn't killed him yet, especially after the stunt he pulled the day of the tux fitting when they got into their mini-argument.

_They had been sitting at the back of the dimly lit Thai restaurant at the only table large enough to fit all of them. The guys had eagerly set aside their bags with the tuxes' and sat down ready to order their food._

_Originally, Alicia had taken her rightful place at Massie's side, but before Massie could even stop it, Derrick had tapped Alicia on the shoulder and gave her a meaningful look. Without saying anything, she slid down a seat and he sat down in her place. _

_Massie looked around him and glared at Alicia who was purposely already deep in conversation with Kemp. _

"_Come on, Block. Just yell at me already so we can go back to pretend fighting like we usually do."_

_She rolled her eyes. "I'm not mad, Derrick."_

"_Yes, you are."He said sliding his chair in closer._

"_Nope. I'm not. Not even a little." She said deeply interested in her manicured nails._

"_Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow, not believing her. _

"_Yep. Why would I be?"_

"_I don't know… Maybe because I called you a liar. And accused you of hooking up with Warren. And said that I'm upstanding for putting up with you. And said that you were playing dumb games. And-"_

"_Could you maybe shut up? Kay, thanks."She snapped turning away. _

"_There it is. What I've been waiting for." Derrick grinned proudly. "Come on, let it all out. Don't hold back."_

_She pretended to not hear him as she looked around for their waiter._

"_What is it that you want from me? An apology?" He said leaning in closer than necessary. "Okay, I'm sorry. There it is. Ask me for anything and it's yours. Just stop acting like this." He tugged her arm pulling her back around to face him and gave her a ridiculous pout. It didn't take him long to realize that it wasn't going to work._

"_Do you want me to get on my knees?" He asked dramatically as a pretty, young waitress came and began taking their friends' orders. "Is that what you want? Look, I'll get on my knees." He started to get up, as the waitress, who was pretending to not have noticed their obvious argument, finally turned to them for their orders. Massie grabbed his arm and yanked him back down in his chair trying to look normal. The couple at the table next to them, who were openly observing their fight, began laughing._

"_Um, hello can I have-" She began sweetly._

"_Do you want jewelry? I know you love jewelry." Derrick said loudly interrupting her. She could hear the teasing in his voice. Now he was just trying to embarrass her until she answered him. She wanted to punch him in the face._

"_Sorry, can I have-"She tried again._

"_I'll get you camellias. They're your favorite flower, right?"_

_The waitress looked back and forth between them. "I can come back. It's-"_

"_Ignore him." She ground out through her teeth, not even trying to fake nonchalance anymore. "I would like an order of-"_

"_Let's go to the bathroom. I'll make it up to you in there. I'll give you the time of your life-"_

"_De-rrick!" She shrieked mortified. The waitress, who looked painfully uncomfortable, jumped at Massie's outburst. Massie looked at all her friends at the table to see them openly shaking in hysterical laughter. She expected this from the guys, but she couldn't believe that the girls were just as bad._

"_You __**cannot**__ comprehend how much I want to kill you right now." She spat at him. She whipped her head around furiously to the waitress. "An order of miso soup, please." She barked._

_The waitress nodded averting her eyes. "And you, sir?" She asked Derrick._

"_The Chicken Pad Thai Special would be great, thanks." He smiled showing off his beautiful teeth._

_As soon as she left, Massie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the men's room. _

"_Guess she's taking me up on my offer."Derrick whispered to the group in amusement before she could pull him away._

_When they were out of public view, ignoring the two men washing their hands at the sink who were watching them through the mirrors, she lost it and began hitting him over and over again._

"_Ow! Mas- Ow! Block!" Derrick cried. She furiously tried to slap and punch at any opening she could get._

"_Stop it!" He grabbed her wrists and pulled them behind her back dragging her roughly up to his chest. _

_Her hair was tousled and she desperately wanted to fix it, but Derrick refused to let go._

"_You're such an asshole! Is it your mission in life to drive me crazy?" Massie asked as she struggled to get herself out of his grip. The two men (who were still in the room) seemed to deliberate whether they should interfere with Derrick manhandling her._

"_Funny, I could ask you the same thing." He responded only holding her tighter._

"_I do nawt drive you crazy!" She protested. She stopped struggling realizing it was a lost cause. As soon as they saw her give up, the other men, realizing that she seemed comfortable with the guy she was glowering at, awkwardly shuffled out. One of them let out a low whistle and sent a 'Good Luck' face Derrick's way._

"_Don't you?" He raised an eyebrow. _

"_**You're**__ the one always trying to get __**me**__ riled up. Why is that?"_

"_I already explained this, Block. I need to assure myself that you're not an alien every once in a while. You're too composed all of the time. Sometimes I really start to wonder if you have any emotion."_

"_See that's where you're wrong. Right at this moment, I feel very emotional about wanting to beat the __**living crap**__ out of you." She said completely serious._

"_Aw, come on, you don't want to do that." He smirked confidently. "You'd miss me too much. Who else would look out for you?"_

"_Is that what you call it?" She narrowed her eyes. "Looking out for me?"_

"_Of course." He smirked. "And I'm getting you to loosen up in the process. That's always a good thing."_

"_Why, Derrick? Why are you so intent on "loosening me up"?" She asked with an annoyed glare. _

"_Because it's nice to know what's going on in that head of yours every once in a while. You almost never let your guard down. I'm not some stranger. I want to see the real you, the you I used to know; not the hardass girl you show the world." He watched as her face softened. "If the only way to do that is to piss you off, then so be it. It's not my fault you have the best poker face I've ever seen." He smirked pulling her body even closer to his. He leaned down hid his face in her hair. "Please, don't be mad, Block." His deep voice rumbled in her ear._

"_Let go off my wrists and you're forgiven." She whispered. When he did, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug that he readily returned._

"_I'm not mad. Now can you stop offering me sexual favors in public?" She snorted._

"_I guess." He said letting out an obnoxious sigh as if that would be a hard task._

_His stomach rumbled and she chuckled._

"_Let's go eat, cave man." Pushing him off her, she spun on her heel and headed back to their table._

The PC had given her questioning looks when they returned to the table acting as they usually did, but she chose not to say anything.

From the very beginning, it had always been ridiculously easy to forgive Derrington, and because of that, she hated doing it. That was the biggest reason why being his girlfriend had been nothing short of a catastrophe.

When they had dated, they would constantly alternate from absolutely loving to absolutely hating each other. Ultimately as fate would have it, just like her best friends and his best friends, their relationship, too, had crashed and burned. She cringed at the memory of their breakup.

_Massie sat alone on the bleachers at the Tomahawks soccer field. Her knee bounced impatiently as she waited for Derrick to leave the locker rooms. She had come towards the very end of his practice, but he hadn't noticed her yet. She considered going home and sleeping off all the emotion that had been building inside of her after she had heard the news, but she knew that it would be pointless. She wouldn't be able to fall asleep without confronting him first._

_Finally, she saw Derrick and a few other players exit, hair wet from the showers. They all looked tired and aggravated, and from what she saw, they had reason. Their coach had been hard on them after their loss against Mount Vernon. They stood around in a huddle and began talking to each other, but Massie didn't want to wait anymore, so she stood up and went over to the group. She didn't really want to do this in front of people, especially his friends, but she was fed up. She made sure she looked her best when coming here. She wore a short, navy and white belted dress by Ali Ro and Proenza Schouler wedge ankle boots. Her hair was down in wild unkempt waves and her lips glossed to perfection._

_One of the boys on the team, Tim Murphy, saw her coming and tapped Derrick's shoulder. When he turned around and saw her coming, he sent her a tiny wave. Tim laughed and said something that made Derrick turn around for a second to punch him in the shoulder._

_She waited until she was a couple feet away from the group before she stopped. He seemed to not expect that. With two fingers, she gestured for him to come to her._

"_Lookin' good, Massie!" Someone in the crowd shouted emitting laughter from them all. Derrick didn't react at all. Instead, he walked towards her slowly studying her face. He seemed to not like what he saw because he looked about ready to turn and walk the other way. He continued, though, until he was inches away from her. _

"_Hey." He said plainly. She watched a drop of water travel down his cheek before he wiped it away._

"_Hey." And just like that, she could feel herself coming undone. All the work it took to make herself look unaffected could slip away any second and she knew it._

_He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head letting him catch her cheek._

_He sighed in weariness and annoyance. "I knew it." He whispered. "What is it now, Block?" His warm breath tickled her face._

_She shook her head and put her hands on her hips, gripping them tightly so he wouldn't see her hands shake, "Of _all_ the girls, in _all_ of Westchester, you had to pick __**her**__."_

"_What are you talking about?" He wasn't even attempting to be a good liar at this point._

"_Don't insult me. You know what I'm talking about." She whispered. Her words were slow and calculated. She kept her features impassive and calm, knowing that people were watching. "Nina. Nina Callas. The girl, who is currently the reason Alicia can't even look in Josh's direction, the girl who hates me, the girl who's been after you for as long as I've known you."_

"_I didn't "pick" anybody." Derrick growled keeping his voice quiet also. "She kissed me. Not the other way around."_

_She stared at him completely disregarding his excuse. "You__** let**__ her. You stood there. You didn't even back away. In my book, that makes you no less guilty."_

"_That's bullshit." He said at regular volume, not even caring anymore._

_Her blood began to boil. "No it's-"_

"_No. It's nothing, Massie. It's bullshit, plain and simple. You're such a hypocrite. Guys are always all over you, and I don't ever say a word. And do you wanna know why I'm never worried, Block? Because you don't care. You don't care about them. I watch these guys look at you, and all the while you look back at them, but you look so bored. But you know what's sad? I'm your boyfriend and I get the same treatment. Sometimes I feel like you don't even care about me.-"_

_She shook her head fiercely "Don't even. Don't you dare try to turn this around on me. I've always been this way and you never once had a problem with it. So just stop trying to find things to pin on me. The only thing that's plain and simple is that I've been trying. You haven't. __**You're**__ the one that keeps throwing away our relationship.-"_

"_I can't even-" He interrupted._

"_I'm nawt finished!" She shouted so loudly that people down the block could probably have heard her. "I mean, Gawd, after all the things I do for you, you're gonna stand here and call me a hypocrite? Tell me, Derrick, who makes sure you're taken care of when you're sick? Who makes sure you keep your grades up so that your dad won't send you to military school? Who comes to all your games? Who gets the brunt of your resentment when you're ticked off? Me! I don't even__** look**__ at other guys. You, however, just can't stop yourself from going to Harris Fisher's dumb parties where all the slutty drunk girls are just ready to jump your bones! I know, Derrick. I know that this is not the first time a girl has come onto you. I might not be at those parties, but people talk.-"_

"_Are you sure about that?" He yelled back just as loud. "Do people talk or do you hire your little followers to spy on me?"_

"_Screw you! Ever since that whole mess with you guys and ESP class, I have never once spied on you. I said I was sorry about that so stop throwing it back in my face. That's not the issue here. The real problem is that you know what's gonna happen at these parties, and yet you continue to go. You choose to spend your time playing beer pong and letting grimy girls give you lap dances instead of with your girlfriend."_

"_You don't even know what you're talking about. I haven't once made a move on another girl while I was with you."_

"_And you think that makes you innocent? You don't know what I go through. I have to have these stupid wannabees come up to me the next day telling me about how some girl had her arm around you the entire night! It's embarrassing. There's a line and you crossed it. Now you're just making a fool out of me. What am I supposed to think when I hear things like that? Are you saying you want to be single? Tell me now so I can stop wasting my time."_

"_Wasting your time? Is that what this is? You know that part about screwing me?" He smirked cruelly. "I wish you would. Maybe then I wouldn't be the cheating bastard you think I am. Spare me the fucking dramatics, Block." He said, his face completely uncaring. "If you want this to be over, then it's done." He pulled her rhinestone 'M' pin out of his pocket and with a flick of his wrist it was tossed on the ground._

_Massie stood there in shock. Out of all the times they had broken up already, he had never once given her back the pin. She stared at it on the ground. She looked back up at him and broke. She literally felt her insides shatter to pieces and before she knew it, tears were pouring out of her eyes and her hand was over her mouth covering her muffled sobs. She knew his whole team was watching and she could feel them looking at her pityingly. She could see on Derrick's face now as he watched her that he wanted to take back everything he said, but it was too late._

_She hated him._

_He seemed to know what she was thinking because she saw him Adam's apple bob as he swallowed painfully._

_She couldn't take it anymore. She had let him reduce to her to this… miserable person. She turned and walked off the field. One thing was for sure, he would never get the opportunity to do this to her. Ever again._

She didn't want to admit that she had a soft spot for him and probably always would. The only thing that comforted her about how she acted around him was her knowing that she was over him.

Sure, he was hotter than ever and she couldn't help but be attracted to him, but she was more mature now. Thinking a guy was cute didn't necessarily mean you wanted to be with him. Believe it or not, she enjoyed his friendship. Ever since Landon had dumped her, she had been completely focused on herself. She needed to worry about keeping both she and her friends happy, and that seemed impossible whenever they were involved with guys.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Massie shouted.

"Miss Block?" Elsa, the housekeeper, asked peeking her head in the door. "There was a package at the door with your name on it."

Massie's eyes widened. Placing Bean down on her bed, she trudged across the plush carpet over to Elsa.

"From who?"

"I don't know. The card only says your name." Elsa held out the nicely wrapped box with a smile.

"Thank you." Massie's heart leaped. She had a pretty good feeling about this. She smiled dismissively at Elsa, already walking over to her bed.

She sat down and looked at it. It was rectangular black suede box with her name typed neatly on the front. She thought about who it could be from before she opened it. Then it hit her.

Derrington. It had to be a Christmas gift. She had gotten gifts from all of her friends, except for him.

She pulled off the ribbon quickly and lifted the lid. Inside was an album. It had a simple navy cover and no words on it. She opened it.

Her heart stopped.

There on the first page, was a picture of the whole PC and the guys outside of Saks the day of the tux fitting. She could only tell by the clothing. Their faces had been blacked out harshly with a permanent marker. She turned the pages to only see the same picture over and over again with the same marker crossing them out.

She shut the book and got up quickly. She felt woozy.

A piece of paper fell out of the book. She reached down and picked it up. Swallowing, she opened it.

_Every single one of us, you can break and you can mend_

_Every single story has a beginning and an end_

_All of us are liars who pretend, pretend, pretend_

_And every single murderer was somebody's old friend._

Massie covered her mouth in shock. It was him. It was…A. She could hear a dull thumping in her ears that she vaguely realized was her heartbeat. Time seemed to slow down as she looked at the words written in front of her repeatedly.

Dozens of wheels began turning in her head.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a headache coming on. She picked up everything and hurried over to her closet. She pulled out an L.L. Bean backpack and shoved both the album and note inside.

She pulled her phone out of the breast pocket of her vintage Chanel blazer. She checked all her friends names to send a forwarded text. She hesitated on checking the boys' names, but she remembered promising them to not keep secrets anymore. And if they found out (more like _when_) they would definitely be furious and turn all overprotective bodyguard on them, so she quickly added their names and opened up a text.

She knew that the whole group had been back in Westchester before her and that they had all seen each other already. Initially, she had planned on meeting them for breakfast tomorrow morning and surprising them, but this changed things. She needed to see them now. Right now.

'Hey. Just got home. Starbucks in 30 minutes. No replies. Be there.'

She knew it sounded awfully bitchy, but she didn't really care. They'd be there. No doubt about it.

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Starbucks in the heart of Westchester. Her face was frozen from both the weather, and the brisk pace she walked. That's right. Walked. Isaac hadn't been around and she was unwilling to wait for him, so she changed out of her leather Louboutin pumps and into Jil Sander fur cuff boots and headed out on foot.

She was surprised to see the whole group already there, seeing as she was fifteen minutes early, but she was glad that they all seemed eager to see her. None of them had noticed her arrival yet, so she walked to the front counter and ordered a Tall Skinny Caramel Macchiato while keeping out of their view. When she got her drink, she snuck up behind them. She was surprised to see Alicia practically on top of Josh's lap. Everyone else sat normally, but none of them seemed to have noticed the two in their intimate position.

"Does anybody know why we're here?" She heard Cam ask. They all shook their heads.

"I can tell by her text that something's wrong though." Kristen said worriedly. "I didn't even know she was back home-"

"Massie!" Claire, who was the only one to spot her, squealed getting up to hug her. The PC quickly got up and followed. Massie tried to hold onto her drink and hug them back. Kemp, who noticed her struggle, took her drink and set it down on the table.

'Thanks.' She mouthed from behind Dylan's shoulder. He only winked in response.

When the girls were done chatting at her excitedly, she walked over to the table and gave each guy a kiss on the cheek, as they jokingly pretended to be horrified by the lip gloss stains she left behind. When she got to Derrington, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug.

"You're looking lovely as ever, Block."

She returned his embrace, but found herself left in an awkward half-standing, half-straddling stance. She pinched him in the rib, where she knew he was ticklish, to make him let go. He complied and let her sit down, but it was only seconds later that he hooked an arm around her.

Normally, she would bicker with him for a few minutes before shoving him away from her, but she knew why she was here and they didn't have time for that. So far, nobody had sensed her unease or noticed her lack of a smile since she had arrived. They all looked really happy to see her, and while that would usually make her smug, she knew the real reason why they were here and she could only bring herself to feel dread.

"What's with the backpack?" Plovert asked noticing it on her back for the first time. "No offense, babe, but you peg me as more of a Chanel handbag kinda girl."

Massie stiffened, remembering what was inside of the bag. Though she didn't think it was possible, the knots in her stomach pulled even tighter.

"Um… I-", the words died in her throat clumsily.

That caught everyone's attention. It was clear now to them that they hadn't, until this moment, noticed Massie's expression. She looked… blank.

"Mass, what's wrong?" Alicia asked softly looking fearful of the answer. Anything that could affect Massie so much to make her act like this was something Alicia was deathly afraid of.

Seconds buzzed by as Massie said nothing. Under the table, Derrick's fingers brushed along her hand soothingly.

"Say something, Block." He urged, watching her face closely.

She blinked. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just-" She tried to find the right words, but at this moment words seemed to fail her completely.

So she showed them.

She slid off the backpack gracefully and placed it on the table. Pulling out the album and the note, she looked up at them. "This showed up on my porch today with my name on it."

She heard Claire gasp, already knowing who it was from. The others looked back and forth between the two girls, still confused.

She opened the album and showed them the pictures.

"Is that…?" Dylan trailed off covering her mouth in shock. Massie nodded.

"That was the day when-" Josh began to say. Massie only nodded again.

"What's the note say?" Derrick demanded to know. His boyish features hardened into a grave countenance, all traces of the delight that had been on his face at seeing Massie were gone.

Massie unfolded the note and read them what A had sent her.

"Does that mean what I think I means?" Cam asked stonily. He, too, looked severely pensive.

Massie folded the note neatly to buy herself some time to give a response. "Apparently, things are a lot worse than we thought. He's telling us something. He wants us to know that, yes, he knows who we are, but more importantly, we know who he is too. Hence the 'every single murderer is somebody's old friend' line."

It was quiet as everyone let Massie's words sink in.

No one could think of anything to say that could relieve the level of stress radiating off of everyone at this point.

Massie, who was getting more unnerved by the second at everyone's reactions, decided to break the silence.

"There's something else." She whispered. They all look at her questioningly.

"I get what he's telling us, but that's not it. There's more. This poem it's… it's a quote or something from somewhere." She explained. "I just can't remember from what. But I know. I just _know_ I've heard it somewhere before. Does it ring a bell for any of you?" She was disappointed to see them all shake their heads.

"Maybe that's why it was given to you. You have to remember, Massie. This is a clue." Josh voiced.

"A clue?" Alicia asked. "To what? What's going on here? I don't understand what we're supposed to be doing."

"He means that we can't keep pretending this isn't happening because it is." Derrick replied running a hand tiredly through his hair. "That means no more walking around like everything's fine because everything is the opposite of fine right now. We need to find this guy and bring him down."

"No way!" Alicia attested. "I do nawt want to involve myself with some deranged psychopath."

"Well that's too fucking bad because he seems to want to involve himself with you." Plovert said morosely. "With all of us whether we like it or not."

"Leesh, he's right." Dylan spoke up. "The note to Claire was one thing, but from the looks of it, this guy's not done with us. We thought the only thing this…stalker freak… wanted was for us to stop talking to the cops, but apparently not. Ignoring him is not gonna cut it anymore."

"A, remember?" Claire said with a cringe at Dylan's use of 'stalker freak'. "We decided on calling him A."

"Why the hell does it matter, Kuh-laire?" Massie snapped. "Changing his name doesn't make this situation any less effed up."

Claire looked down apologetically.

Massie looked at her. She bit her lip. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, it's just-"

"I know." Claire nodded.

And she did. She knew how Massie was feeling. The fear and helplessness of knowing that someone might be out to get you, but not being able to do anything about it. Before tonight, she had been the only one to receive anything from A. She felt like he was personally attacking her. It had been eating her alive lately, but she kept it a secret because she didn't want her friends to think she was weak. She was kind of relieved to see them look as worried as she, herself, had been all along.

"And to think, I walked here alone." Dylan said with wide eyes. "What if A was behind me, watching me the whole time?"

"I was thinking about that too." Kemp admitted. "It's not safe for us to meet up like this anymore. And you girls need to stop going places alone. Massie's got the right idea with the sensible shoes though." He nodded towards her comfortable-looking boots, "I'm not saying I think anything is gonna happen to you, but we have to be prepared for the worst."

"So what _are_ you saying?" Kristen asked narrowing her eyes.

"As of now, I'm saying I think you guys should lay off the heels again. Besides, the ground is covered in snow outside." He pointedly rolled his eyes at Kristen's spiky studded Miss Sixty's.

"Or not." Cam said looking up from the album he had been observing again. He tossed it back on the table. "You could get a good stab in with a stiletto."

The funny thing about Cam's joke, was that it wasn't funny. There was a chance that using their shoes to defend themselves could easily become a reality. So no one laughed. Not even Cam.

"So," Chris said after a brief silence, "what do we do now?"

"We keep our cool." Derrick answered. "Don't tell anyone, and I mean **anyone**, about this. From now on we trust no one outside of the ten of us."

"But what about our families?" Claire asked. "And the cops?"

"The cops will only make A come after us ten times harder. And if our families find out, then there's no way in hell that they won't tell the cops. We need to find out who he is on our own before we make even the slightest move towards law enforcement." He insisted. He watched everyone closely before continuing.

"Agreed?" He asked. Like a true alpha he kept them all under his domineering gaze. Everyone, even Massie, nodded. "Okay, then." He sat back, more relaxed.

"Alright then. But how do we find out who A is?" Alicia asked crossing her arms over her large chest. "Where do we start?"

"We have to be patient." Derrick answered no longer so tense looking. His calm demeanor subconsciously calmed the whole group down. He looked over at Massie. "Block, I know that you're kind of shook up right now, but as soon as you feel up to it, I need you to start thinking about where you've heard this poem. We have to find out why he sent it to you. Okay?"

Massie looked into his concern-filled eyes. They were a rich honey brown, so bright that she could see her reflection in them. It crossed her mind then that if he had leaned in to kiss her at that exact moment, she would have let him.

"Block." He said snapping her out of her thoughts.

She blinked. "Yeah. Definitely."

"Okay. Good." He said, not breaking eye contact with her.

She began to wonder about a dozen things at once. She wondered what he was thinking and if it was anywhere near what she was thinking. She wondered why no one else at the table had said anything yet. She wondered who A was. She wondered if she was going to die. She wondered if Alicia and Josh had hooked up. Everything going on in her mind was either irrational or inappropriate.

She needed something to break this screwy spell she was under.

As if God was winking down at her, Derrington's cell went off. It was actually one of her favorite songs.

_I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold-_

His head snapped forward and she sat up straighter. She looked at the rest of the table and they all gave her weird looks. The guys looked at her in confusion, but the girls looked more curious and accusatory.

"Hello?" Derrick asked without glancing at the caller ID. She could hear a voice answer on the other line. A female voice.

"Hey… you." He said in a lower voice. It was obvious that he didn't want the whole table to hear this conversation. The girl responded again.

Without warning, he got up to go take the call somewhere else, but not before the whole group could hear the unnamed girl squeal 'Baby I miss you!' loudly over the phone.

That seemed to do it. Suddenly, Massie's thoughts got clearer.

_What the __**hell**__ where you thinking? Ew, Massie. Derrington? _

Without realizing it, a giggle burst from her lips. It was official. She was going crazy.

Everyone else seemed to think she was laughing because of the girl on Derrick's phone and they began to laugh with her. And she was. At least partially. Baby, I miss you? That was hilarious in itself. But the other part of her was laughing at the absurdity of getting back together with him.

All of her ex-boyfriend's (besides Derrick) knew. You got one chance with Massie Block and if you blew it then it was over. Derrington, on the other hand, had gotten five chances. Yep. Over their relationship span of two years, they had broken up and gotten back together _**five**_ times. How ridiculous was that?

"What's her name?" Massie asked Chris with wicked amusement. She knew all the guys knew, but Plovert had always been the most willing to spill all the gossip he knew. The thing was, he wouldn't tell unless you asked him.

"Don't man." Kemp warned. His happy grin said the opposite though. "D will kill you."

Massie faked offense. "Why wouldn't he want me to know?"

Kemp's smile dropped and he coughed uncomfortably. He exchanged looks with the other boys.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Mass, don't worry. They've been doing this all week. Turns out, all these boys have little girlfriends that they don't want to tell us about."

Alicia seemed to remember and scowled at Josh, moving away from him.

"She's not my girlfriend." Cam insisted. "None of us have girlfriends."

"Okay, then." Kristen scoffed, "What are they? Booty Calls? Friends with benefits? It doesn't matter. Just tell us who they are. It's nawt that big of a deal. What do you think we're gonna do?"

"We don't know. That's the problem." Kemp shrugged taking a bite out his blueberry scone.

Dylan sighed and let out a chuckle. "The most we'll do is poke a little fun. It's nawt like you guys haven't given us your detailed evaluations about our choice in guys, right?"

Massie raised an eyebrow. "Right. Sow what'll it be boys? Are you gonna tell us or are we gonna have to do some investigating?" The PC grinned giddily at the idea.

"I mean, we're friends, right? Friends are allowed to know about this stuff." She continued, her amber eyes sweeping over each of them persuasively. They refused to look at her and instead looked at each other, silently asking each other questions with their eyes.

"Hey. What'd I miss?" Derrick asked returning back to his seat.

"You," She squinted at him provokingly, "who was that on the phone?"

"No one important." He said tossing her question away. He looked ready to change the subject.

Massie gasped. "Oh no, you don't. You guys seem awfully ready to pick at our love lives, but the second a question about yours comes up its not important? Who is she? Or should I say they?" Her eyes flickered over to the other boys letting them know that she hadn't forgotten them.

"No one. Just some girl." He grumbled.

"Just some girl, huh? I'll say. These girls must be golden if you're this protective over them." Dylan spoke laced with hidden meaning.

"Huh?" Chris asked looking at her with genuine confusion.

"That's why, isn't it?" Claire asked him with understanding. "You're afraid we're gonna rip your girlfriends to shreds when we meet them. Well what if we promise to be nice?"

"ERRRR," Alicia stressed revealing a radiant smile. "NicER, Kuh-laire. There's a difference."

Massie laughed and high-fived her.

"No." Josh shook his head in annoyance. "That's not what this is about. Not even close."

"Well then what is it?" Dylan raved throwing her hands up.

"It's what we've been saying." Cam said with a sudden anger in his voice that surprised them. "It's nothing. We met these girls a while back. Before **we**," He gestured toward both groups, "were even speaking again. We had fun, and now it's over. For us at least. The girls still call… but you know things have _changed _now. We don't need you guys thinking that we're in committed relationships or anything cause we're not, so…" He trailed off letting them finish his sentence for him.

The PC looked at him with vacant expressions. They were still confused.

"So… what? I don't get it. And what do you mean by things have changed? What's changed?" Massie looked at them. What was she missing here?

"Forget it." Derrick shook his head in frustration.

"No, b-" Kristen began to protest.

"_Kristen_." Kemp ground out through his teeth, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

She looked at his face and sighed. "Boys…" She murmured taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Massie gave her a look of equal astonishment at the direction this conversation had taken. Now they seemed to be at a two-way street. They could either push the matter and _really_ piss the guys off or leave it alone and move on.

"So," Alicia said taking the initiative, "how was vacation, Mass?"

"Good."

And just like that, the girls decided to give the elephant in the room the finger, and give the boys a break for once.

**REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

*I don't own the Clique series.*

**PLEASE READ.**

**I just want to apologize first for the wait, but I have an explanation. Three actually. First, I fractured my arm in dance class. You can understand why it must be really hard for me to type up long chapters with a bulky cast on. Second, I've been really busy with my schoolwork. I really, really tried to put in hours online, but it was nearly impossible. And lastly, a boy in my school, not a close friend of mine, committed suicide. He was very close to a lot of my friends though and I've just been trying to be there for them as much as I can. I've been kind of spooked and in a daze lately that something like this could ever happen. It was really hard to find inspiration for a while, but in the words of I don't know who, "The show must go on." So I'm back bitches. Enjoyyyyyyy….XOXOXOXOXO**

Chapter 12

Massie and her friends were a force to be reckoned with.

It came as no shock to anyone that the Pretty Committee often got whatever they wanted. The five of them had a lot of advantages. They were blessed, intrinsically, in every aspect; from looks to status, head to toe, inside and out. They had everything. But more importantly, they _were _everything. They could morph themselves into becoming whoever was convenient at the moment.

If you asked any of the girls, they would tell you it was because they were conversationalists, innovators, charmers, visionaries, in every sense of the word, IDEALISTS.

Ask anyone else, however and they would tell you that these girls were sweet talkers, seducers, liars, power mongers, in every sense of the word PRETENTIOUS. And not necessarily in that order.

But underneath all those equally beautiful and destructive qualities, they were to-the-core schemers. And no one was spared from their schemes. They plotted and deceived by any means possible to get ahead. They had wronged so many people within the two years they had spent in high school. They had done it and gotten away with it.

That's why, as they sat together Sunday night and wrote up a list of who might be out to get them, they were hit with a semi-startling revelation.

It was possible that** everyone** they knew wanted them dead.

"This is all you guys' fault." Claire said pettily. "Before I moved to Westchester, everyone liked me. Now, because one of you apparently pissed someone off, that someone wants to_ kill_ us."

They were sitting in Dylan's bedroom. They had just come upstairs from Merri-lee Marvil's home gym after finishing their routine workout session. They had showered and were dressed to the 9's as usual, but the giddy feel-good moment that they had become accustomed to was currently missing.

"Oh, shut up, Kuh-laire. If it weren't for us, you would've been the biggest loser. For all you know, your life in Westchester might've turned out so pathetic that you would've killed yourself." Though Massie's words were uncharacteristically cold towards Claire, none of the girls even batted an eyelash. "Besides, we don't know A wants to kill us."

Massie's tone did nothing to alleviate the sour mood they were all in. None of them had talked during their workout. They had each sat sulkily and purposefully tuned each other out with their Ipods.

None of them even knew why they were acting the way they were. It had happened randomly. It was like yesterday morning they had woken up and unanimously decided that considering the circumstances, it was okay for them all to be catty. They weren't mad with each other, per se, but more with the position they were in. Everything felt wrong. Acting scared didn't feel right, but neither did acting like everything was normal. The same thing had been going through all of their minds_. The Pretty Committee __**always**__ got what they wanted, why should now be any different?_ And they wanted results. They were at a turning point. Decisions needed to be made. And fast.

"Yeah, I know." Claire sighed and looked at her friends apologetically. Now was _**nawt**_ the time to play the blame game. "I'm just PMSing or something."

"Okay. So, we're bitches." Kristen shrugged, tossing the list aside. She had given up on finding just one person who possibly hated them enough to do this. They were getting absolutely nowhere. "Big deal. This doesn't mean everyone wants to kill us. Most people aren't killers. When normal people hate someone, they badmouth them on Facebook. They don't stalk them. This is someone seriously screwed in the head."

"Well can't we scratch all the girls off the list anyway?" Alicia asked. "I thought you said A was a guy."

"But that doesn't mean that A's the only one behind this." Kristen responded. "He might have a partner for all we know. That could be how he gets all this info on us. We can't cut girls out as a possibility."

Kristen's Blackberry buzzed for the fifth time since she had arrived at Dylan's house. This time it was Cam. Dylan looked over at her phone to see that Derrick had sent her a text and Massie's phone kept lighting up alerting her of new voicemails. Claire and Alicia had shut their phones off.

They had been ignoring the guys for the second day in a row now. It had begun yesterday with a few phone calls. Originally, Derrick had just asked Massie if she and the girls wanted to meet up for breakfast. Massie replied with a curt, 'No, thank you.' and hung up before he could say anything. He had called back two more times before giving up. After that, the others guys had tried the rest of the PC only to receive the same response. The girls had been holed up inside their houses all weekend, only leaving to meet up with each other. Interestingly enough, only minutes after Massie had rejected Derrick over the phone, the guys from the rugby team that the boys had nicknamed "biters" had stopped by at Massie's house. She had let them inside, only because it was cold. The boys had stayed for about a half hour and talked over a cup of coffee with the girls, before she had forced them out with bogus promises of "meeting up again some other time". To be honest, the girls only felt comfortable around one group of guys at the moment, and they were not them.

As for Derrick, Kemp, Cam, Chris, and Josh, they were being supportive and great about everything really, but that wasn't enough anymore. They needed to see progress, and so far they were at a standstill.

"Sometimes, I wonder if the guys are really even part of this whole thing." Dylan confessed. "A has only contacted us two times, two of which were directed towards one of us. Maybe he's not after them at all. Maybe he's only after us."

"But how do you explain the picture?" Massie questioned. "He scribbled over everyone's faces."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Dylan said letting out a heavy breath of fatigue.

"Why are we avoiding them again?" Alicia asked rubbing her eyes and unconsciously ruining her mascara.

"Because we're cranky and we feel like it," Kristen answered.

"Oh." Alicia uttered noncommittally. "Yeah."

"This is gonna cause a fight." Dylan reminded. She appeared more concerned with her protein bar than another fight with the boys though.

"Yup." Massie said carelessly. "I just can't find it in myself to care about right now. They were smothering us."

"All the guys want to do is bother Massie about the note some more. She's already told them a billion times that she can't remember where it's from. We looked it up on every search engine we could find and we still got nothing." Kristen frowned. "And we can't invite them here or who knows what'll happen. So just let the phones ring cause the last thing we need right now is an argument."

"Point." Alicia spoke quietly with her finger in the air. "They're being so ah-nnoying."

"Today's the end of winter break. We'll see them tomorrow at school anyway." Claire reminded.

"Ugh." Massie groaned. "Let's hope that we're in better moods tomorrow."

By the next morning, they were feeling better, but not drastically.

In the Range Rover, they sat in polite conversation on their way to school. It wasn't exactly like it usually was, but it was a vast improvement from the snide remarks they exchanged yesterday.

"What, no outfit ratings today, girls?" Isaac watched them in the rearview mirror with concern.

He had noticed that Massie and her friends were acting differently and he suspected that it had something to do with the same reason why William Block gave him special orders to keep him posted on his daughter and her friends' whereabouts. He wanted to know if they were acting strange in any way. Isaac had heard about what happened at that party on Halloween and he felt immense guilt that he had not insisted to drive Miss Block and the girls home the night that girl had died. He wondered often if he could've lived with himself if it had been one of them who had gotten killed. He was glad that the Block's were finally beginning to take some interest in their teenage daughter's life. Massie was mature for her age and very intelligent, but sometimes he worried about her. He knew from driving her and the girls that they had done many things that neither he nor her parents knew about, but he kept his thoughts to himself. It was not his place to act like a parent to his employer's only child.

"No." Massie smiled falsely. "Not anymore, Isaac. It was getting old."

Isaac gave her a sad smile in return. It was like seeing his own daughter tell him she didn't need him to hold her hand as she crossed the street anymore: Bittersweet. Though she was showing signs of growth and development, she was slowly becoming someone he didn't know.

"Thanks, Isaac." Massie said as they arrived in front of DA. She adjusted her Rag & Bone knit beanie, pulled on her gloves and stepped out of the car.

The girls wasted no time getting out of the cold and into the building. It was snowing heavily outside. The news had been giving warning of a blizzard that was due to come tonight. The PC stopped at the door and waited for a song selection from Massie.

Massie noticed at the last second. She was just going to head over to her locker, but their expectant looks stopped her. That's right. How could she forget something she had been doing for so long?

"Um- What's my name- Rihanna. A-one. A-two. A-three. And go."

Without the clicking noise of their heels, their walk down the hallway was silent, but that didn't stop crowds of people to notice them. The boys from the rugby team threw the PC cocky smirks. They passed by them and kept walking. Now was not the time.

Turning onto another hallway, they stopped.

"Go to your lockers and meet me back here in, like," Massie spoke glancing at her watch, "five minutes. We have to figure out what we're gonna say to the guys when we see them."

They nodded and hurried off. Massie walked to her locker and quickly pulled off her coat and hat. She opened it and hung them on the hook while fingering her wavy hair trying to undo the flatness her hat had given it. Giving up on trying to make her hair look voluminous, she twisted it into a low chignon leaving it artfully messy. When she was satisfied, she shut her locker and hurried down the hall.

All the girls were there except Alicia who she could see was still trying to cut through the crowded hallways.

"Leesh, hurry!" Massie whisper-shouted. They had only minutes to spare before the first bell rang.

Alicia grew tired of trying to be polite. The PC watched as her mouth curled in anger and she shoved people out of the way. She heard calls of 'Hey!' and 'Ow!' but she didn't even glance in their direction. Pushing the last person aside, she walked over to them.

"Okay," she said adjusting her cream St. John cardigan, "I'm here. I'm here."

"Alright, I don't know where they are," Massie spoke looking around for any sight of them, "but I'm pretty sure they're gonna be ticked off with us. Whatever they say, don't get angry. I repeat: Avoid conflict at all costs. I woke up this morning with this idea. I think I know how we can find out who A is. But we're gonna need the boys' help so when they yell, because they totally will, I need you guys to suck it up, nod, say you're sorry and you understand. Basically, whatever it takes to let them win this battle." She rolled her eyes and looked at her friends. "Got it? You think you can do that?"

The girls blinked at her then broke into wide smiles.

"Given." Alicia smirked.

"Ahbvi." Claire said and began twirling her hair like an airhead. "Yes Cam, you're right. I'm so sorry. You have every right to be mad." She said with wide eyes. "How's that?" She asked, dropping the act.

"Good enough" Massie shrugged. "It's just our luck that we know the guys with the biggest macho complexes ever. I'm just taking a page out of Kendra Block's book. She lets my father tell her what to do and run around like Mr. Big Stuff. He thinks he's the one with the power, while she handles all the business right under his nose. That's all we gotta do here. Let them feel all big about "putting us in our places" and then I can just spring my plan on them. Maybe then they'll shut up and let us start getting things done."

"Isn't it gonna to kill you to give in to Derrington?" Dylan raised an eyebrow addressing Massie. "I know that the face Chris gives me when he sees me apologizing is gonna make want to vomit. He's gonna be soooo smug about it. I just know it."

"Remember what I said, Dyl. Suck it up. Nod. Agree. And nah, I'm not too worried about Derrick. He'll be expecting me to talk back. I love to surprise him." She grinned.

"Alright, I gotta go. Morning announcements." Alicia explained. "Good luck, ladies. I have first period with Josh after this." She blew a kiss and walked away.

As soon as she was out of sight, the first bell rang. Students began shuffling to class. Massie and Dylan had homeroom together so she grabbed the red head's arm and began walking. Claire and Kristen headed in the other direction to their classroom.

Kemp and Chris were both in this class too. Dylan masked her dread at the thought of Chris' reaction and stepped inside first. They were the last ones inside so the teacher asked Massie to close the door. She did as she was told and followed Dylan. Both girls looked over to where Chris and Kemp were sitting, but neither of the boys even glanced their way. That didn't strike them as unusual since they were joking around like they normally did. What they did find weird was when Chris noticed Dylan's presence and immediately clamored up. His smile fell and he looked away.

Dylan gave Massie a questioning look and mouthed, 'What the hell?' before taking her seat.

Massie shook her head. 'I have no idea.' She mouthed back and sat down next to her.

"Good Morning, Denwood Ames," Alicia's voice rang on the loudspeaker, "Welcome back, boys and girls. Hope you had a great winter break. It's Monday, January tenth, and here are your daily announcements. There will be a meeting this afternoon for anyone who wishes to sign up for this year's Spring Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Auditions will be next Tuesday. Also, anyone who wishes to sign up for the trip to Washington D.C., please pick up a permission slip in the Guidance office. Next, our cheerleaders are selling bracelets to raise money for new uniforms. The support would be greatly appreciated. Good Luck at Nationals, girls! And finally, there may be no school tomorrow due to the current weather conditions outside. House calls to inform students about a Snow Day should be expected. Hello Blizzard of the decade!" Alicia paused expertly as classrooms all around the school cheered. "Anyway, I'm going to hand the mic over to your Student Council President, Rafi Gavron. This has been Alicia Rivera for DA news and I heart you!"

After that, everyone stood and hurried through the Pledge of Allegiance before returning to their seats. The class stirred with chatter as their teacher took attendance.

Dylan turned around and looked towards Chris.

"Chris," she called softly. He didn't look up.

"Plovert," she tried again. Still nothing.

"Chris," she said raising her voice. He had to have heard her that time, but he refused to look at her.

"Ehmagawd," Dylan sighed turning around, "He's giving me the silent treatment."

"Go apologize." Massie spoke nudging her.

"Ew, no. He's being a baby. So I ignored a few too many phone calls. So what? This is sorta payback for all those times he did the same to me when he was my boyfriend."

"Dylan." Massie urged. "Remember what I said. Do it."

Dylan sat still for a moment before scoffing and getting up. She walked over to him. Instantly, she turned into an actress and her face was angelic.

"Can we talk?" She whispered to him. Massie read her lips. He turned away from Kemp and looked at her with a stony expression.

"I'm kinda busy right now. Maybe later." He gave her an artificial small smile that disappeared as swiftly as it came and turned away from her again. She heard a few low "ooohs" from people who had been watching. Dylan's face remained impassive at the burn, but Massie knew her too well. Her green eyes got a little darker and her hand twitched as if she could have slapped him right at that moment.

"Kay." She agreed walking back to her desk.

"I tried. He still feels like being a jerk." She muttered crossing her arms. "He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Oh no. He does." Massie smirked. "I can feel their eyes burning the backs of our heads. He didn't think you'd walk away like that. I told you. It's the element of surprise that gets them every time. Now he **definitely** wants to talk to you. He wants to hear what you have to say, but he isn't gonna make the first move. Try him again during Study Hall."

Dylan looked at her alpha. Her green eyes lit up gleefully.

Massie sat in history and stared at the back of Derrick's head. She remembered how only months ago, he had made the first move at patching up their friendship in this very class and offered her his sweatshirt. Now, they weren't talking again. As expected, Derrick didn't even acknowledge her when she walked in. He didn't show any signs of being mad at her, but she knew he was.

She could hear Strawberry complimenting her chic Marc Jacobs sweater dress so she smiled and muttered a quick thank you. Meanwhile, her mind was stewing about the way she should go about approaching Derrington. He, no doubt, had convinced the other guys to ignore the PC for blowing them off the whole weekend. In his place, she would've been ticked off too, but she wasn't completely at fault. The boys weren't giving them any space and they were being really insistent about her figuring out why A gave her that poem. She could only say 'I have no idea' so many times before she contemplated choking someone. The other girls had just been looking out for her. This was a stressful as it was; they didn't need the guys hounding them every ten seconds.

"Psst," Massie whispered. "Derrick." Strawberry and Cori sat up straighter, expecting him to turn around at Massie's call. When he didn't, they looked at her in confusion. She was positive he had heard her because he stiffened just slightly.

Massie glanced over at the teacher. Mrs. Petrocelli was writing notes on the board and was, for the most part, ignoring the class at this time.

"Derrick, will you please look at me?" She said in a regular speaking voice. A few people heard her and turned to watch, but she didn't dare let her eyes leave Derrick's back.

"Can you just...?" She tried again to no avail. "Just-" She stopped herself. Just _what_?

"I'm sorry." Her nosy classmates were watching unabashedly. "Okay? I'm just….sorry. Doing what I did… what we did… was really shitty." She didn't think she could say more.

The apology got Derrick's attention. He seemed to be just as aware of other people's eyes as she was. Without turning around, he spoke.

"Not here. We'll talk later, Massie."

She shrunk back in bewilderment. Since when did he call her Massie? It was Block to him. He only called her Massie when he was trying to be funny, but everything in his voice told her he wasn't kidding around with her.

"Block." She demanded.

"What?" He asked still looking forward.

"You meant to say, 'We'll talk later, _**Block**_.' You never call me Massie. Never have, never will. Don't start now. I won't allow it." Even when apologizing, it was hard for Massie to stop ordering him around.

"You know damn well why I-" He cut himself off. He chuckled resentfully and shook his head. "You're a _horrible_ person. Do you know that? A real bitch."

Massie noticed that his voice was gruff, like he was getting a cold or something. She mentally reminded herself to ask Elsa to make that lentil soup he liked.

_Massie. He just called you a bitch and you want to make him soup? _

Strawberry coughed uncomfortably and others stopped breathing altogether.

Everyone was definitely paying attention now. Listening to Derrick Harrington and Massie Block during a personal conversation was a rare, unheard of incident. The only other time something like this had ever happened was in Conflict Resolution class a few months ago, but unfortunately for those who weren't eye witnesses, by the next class the PC had reverted back to their regular calm demeanors leaving the cell phone videos as the only proof that those events had ever occurred in the first place. She could see people out of the corner of her eye taking out their phones and texting away to their friends about what was happening.

"Yeah." She answered pinching the thin skin on her wrist painfully to keep herself aware. Her head felt a little foggy as if this conversation was only a dream. "I do. But do you mind me asking why it is you think so?"

"Because." He said. For a few long seconds, she thought that that was all we going to say, but he continued.

"Because you want me to be the guy who calls you Block. That same guy who-" he stopped himself. "You won't let me remember, but you **refuse** to let me forget." He said instead.

Her pulse thudded. "Forget what?"

He didn't answer.

"Forget what, Derrick?" She asked again.

Seconds passed as she (and everyone else) awaited his answer. She wished she could see his face, but then again, Derrick never let her get what she wanted. He remained where he was.

"You, of all people, already know the answer to that question," He spoke each word with deep intent, "Block." He added for good measure. But this time, her surname on his lips only sounded acidic.

Massie didn't know what to think of that. There were a lot of things Derrick could have meant by saying that, none of which she really wanted to get into with him. Not now, especially not in front of their classmates. Not ever actually.

She couldn't think of anything to say, and she could feel everyone waiting for her to respond.

But she couldn't. She _couldn't._

Her silence appeared to please him because his shoulders got straighter in that way that she was wretchedly accustomed to.

She spent the rest of class trying to look as if what Derrick had said hadn't affected her. Strawberry and Kori looked at her sympathetically as if waiting for her to burst into tears, but she openly ignored them and doodled on the back of her notebook.

It was lunch when she met up with the PC. Massie studied their faces one by one. They looked fine. Correction: They looked fine _to a random bystander_. But not to her. Not to their best friend. She could see the dejection in their beautifully made up eyes. She guessed their "talks" with the guys had turned out just as bad, if not worse, as her and Derringtons.

"Okay," She said through gritted teeth, "this is gonna be a little harder than I actually thought."

"Understatement." Kristen grunted pushing her veggie burger away disdainfully. "Kemp said and I quote 'that if I had really wanted to talk, then I should've done so this weekend, but seeing as I was too busy pressing the ignore button, I better go talk to someone who cares.' Then he told me to get away from him."

"Same here basically." Claire spoke up. "Cam just flat out told me to stop talking to him. So I did. End of story." She said uncaringly, but the PC watched as she shoved a handful of peanut M&Ms into her mouth. Everyone new sour candy was Claire's thing. She only ate chocolate when she was really upset.

"At least they spoke to you." Alicia huffed. "Every time Josh saw me today, he would shove his tongue down a different girl's throat. Nawt that they seemed to mind."

"Plovert is still trying to play hard to get." Dylan rolled her eyes. "I mean I get that he's mad or whatever, but I can take a hint. If he doesn't want to talk then so be it. I've never had to fight for his attention before and I'm not about to start."

"Ditto." Claire responded shoving another handful of M&Ms into her mouth.

Massie groaned inwardly. "Girls, I know that saying sorry sucks, but to find A, we need everybody on board. Come awn. I've seen you girls charm the pants off practically every male in this cafeteria. That's all I need you to do right now."

"But Mass, you know it's different with them." Kristen frowned. "They know us. They know just the right buttons to push. It's just hard to sit there and take it."

"Believe me. I know." Massie said with glum understanding. "But we have matters to handle. Matters way bigger than that."

"Well what do you want us to do? They aren't here." Alicia said, but it was obvious that she was not at all eager to talk to them. They looked around the cafeteria and sure enough, the boys were nowhere in sight. When Massie saw that she was right, Alicia smiled triumphantly.

"Let's go find them." Massie said standing up. She hastily pulled out her Cherry Bomb lip gloss and applied it on her lips.

"What?" Claire asked with her mouth full. The other girls looked at Massie in disbelief.

"I _said_," Massie leaned down, "let's go find them. We'll confront them right now. Waiting around isn't going to avoid the huge fight we're about to have; it'll only postpone it. So get up. All of you."

Sulkily, the PC did as she said and they all sauntered out of the cafeteria. It was probably best that they get it over with now anyway. Everyone else was at lunch and they could talk without making a scene.

"Do you know where they are?" Dylan asked Massie who was leading the group down the corridor.

"I'm not positive, but I have a pretty good idea." She answered.

"And….?" Alicia urged waiting for Massie to tell them where they were headed.

"Well if the boys aren't getting food from the Caf, they're definitely getting it from somewhere. I know for a fact that the boys have an "in" with the cafeteria ladies, gawd knows why. But anyway, Marie-Elena, one of the lunch ladies keeps extra food for the staff in the upstairs choir room. So, put two and two together and you have duh..."

When the girls reached the choir room, they could hear the boys' voices. They all stared at the door waiting for someone to take the first step and open the door. They looked at Massie expectantly.

"What?" She whispered. "I brought us here. Why should I be the one to do it?"

"Uh, maybe because we didn't want to do this in the first place." Dylan hissed back.

Massie stomped her Ferragamo flat and put her hand on the knob. She turned around to look at them. "Game faces, girls." She watched as all the fear on their faces was wiped off and they looked back at her blankly.

They walked in the room to find them lounging around in the choir chairs with empty litters of plates lying around. The boys stood up quickly with fear-ridden faces expecting teachers, but as soon as they saw who it was, their faces hardened.

"Well, well, well…. What do we have here?" Dylan purred disapprovingly.

"Get out." Cam snarled.

"Wow. Is this your room cause I don't see your name on it." Alicia joked.

"Hey airhead," Josh said meanly, "_real_ mature."

"Oh, you mean like _you're_ being by humping anything that moves every time you see me?" She chuckled.

"Get the fuck out." Chris repeated harshly.

"Well aren't we being melodramatic today…." Kristen pouted.

"No." Kemp said harshly. "We don't want any of your crap today. Shut up and leave."

"Well then you lied. You said we could talk later, Chris." Dylan smirked. "It's later."

"Sorry about that." He said sarcastically. "When I said later, I meant bite me, bitch."

"Ooooh kinky. Not in public, baby." She grinned.

"Block, want to take your little group of harpies and get out of my face?" Derrick spoke sighing in impatience.

Massie clapped her hands loudly.

"Bravo," She said looking at the girls. "All this time they've been telling us how mean _we _can be, and look at this!_ Someone's _been hiding their inner tiger." She growled and sent Derrick a showy wink.

Though she had told the girls to be on their best behavior, she immediately took it back as soon as the boys started name-calling. She wouldn't have been able to bear watching them stand there and take the verbal abuse without fighting back.

"I agree, Mass. Airhead. Bitch. Harpy…." Claire listed. "They are on a roll! We should keep these on file for our next throw down with Chris here's lovely new step-sis, Olivia Ryan."

"Hey, Fuck you." Chris growled. "Fuck all of you."

"Oh that's right." Dylan said gleefully. "Daddy won't be too happy with you if he finds out your **friends** have been bothering her again, will he?" She questioned, her eyes shining at the fact that she was getting him riled up.

Chris snapped forward and lunged at her. The other boys grabbed him before he did something stupid.

"What were you gonna do, Plovert? Were you gonna hit me?" She asked, her voice dropping low almost daring him.

Chris shrugged the boys' arms off of him. They went to grab for him, but he held up a finger making a 'one moment' gesture.

"No. Unlike you, I have limits to what I'll do to fuck someone up."

"What and we don't?" Massie asked.

"No. You screwed us over. Again." Cam spoke up. "It shouldn't come as a surprise though, seeing as we've witnessed ourselves how self-centered you are. You seem to have forgotten that not everything is about you. He scribbled over our faces too." He said referring to the picture A had left. "We're involved in this just as much as you are, but you guys are too busy ignoring phone calls and playing coy. Well it's not funny so grow up. You're so selfish. You guys have no sense of respect for anyone, not even each other really considering how many times we've seen you betray one another. But let's not go there or we'll be here all day. A has left us two clues, both of which were sent to one of you guys. Massie got a pretty big one, and I'm guessing that since he knows who she is, he knows the rest of you, but unfortunately, you are the only one who can figure it out. It's just our luck that he would put that much information in the hands of some birdbrain school girls."

"Do you think we're happy about this?" Massie looked at him infuriated. "Do you think we don't spend hour upon hour looking into this? In case you forgot, Claire had this creep break into her bedroom, you asshole. Her _bedroom_. And I had to keep myself calm enough to not have a heart attack after he left me a clue on my front porch. We want this guy just as much, if not more, than you do. But you pencil dicks couldn't be any less helpful if you tried! Being overbearing and asking us thousands of questions only stresses us out even more and that's why we avoided you. No one was "playing coy". Get over yourselves. You want answers? That's great, so do we, but this is not gonna work out this way anymore. You either try to help a different way or no way at all. We'll do this on our own, with or without you."

Kemp snorted. "Tell us something. You guys were looking into this when? Was that when you were getting facials? Or how about when you were doing your nails?"

"Or when you invited those rugby chumps over your house for a play date?" Josh sneered.

The PC stayed silent.

"Oh, you didn't think we knew about that did you?" Derrick asked.

"How _do_ you know about that?" Alicia asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say that we all got texts from them informing us that they were, I quote 'over at Massie's house having breakfast with our girls.'"

"Oliver. That little shit." Massie's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "It wasn't even like that."

"We don't care what it was like. Just tell us one thing. Tell us you didn't tell them anything about A." Derrick said with a tight jaw.

"I'm not gonna even dignify that with an answer." Massie glared. "Are you done or do you want to take another stab at our character?"

"Well hanging out with guys like that doesn't say much about your character anyway." Chris shot back.

"Hanging out? It was one cup of coffee. They came by _un_wanted, _un_invited, and _un_announced. It was 15 degrees outside and they walked, so we let them in. We told them to get warm and then get the hell out." Dylan clarified. "Get your facts straight before you go accusing us of anything."

This time it was the guys' turn to be silent.

"Okay then." Derrick said finally.

"Okay then what?" Kristen asked. "Cause you know that could be a lot of things. That could mean: Okay then we'll back off? Or okay then we believe that you aren't hooking up with guys from the rugby team? Or how about okay then we're sorry for saying the most hurtful things possible to you right now?" Her voice wobbled on that last part making the guys realize for the first time that though the girls had been teasing and smiling, they had actually hurt their feelings. They should have known better. What you saw was almost _never_ what you got with the Pretty Committee.

They looked on guiltily, Cam especially, because he had said the most things.

"Well what about you? Where's our apology?" Josh inquired in a last feeble attempt to stay angry.

"We already did." Claire looked at him pointedly. "About a dozen times this morning actually. It must have been kind of hard to hear them while you were busy calling us every name in the book."

They could hear the clock tick as they waited for the boys to apologize. All of them looked too afraid to do it.

"We're sorry." Cam said finally scratching the back of his neck out of discomfort. "What we said, we didn't mean it. We don't think you're…. dumb or….bad people or whatever."

"Yes you do." Kristen smiled sadly. "And that's probably what sucks the most. My mom always told me that when you're angry, you don't make up new things to be mad about. It's always something you've thought before, maybe all the time, maybe once, but a part of you believes it all the same. And judging by how easy it was for you guys to articulate your** opinions** of us, I'm guessing that you did. You did mean it."

"Kris," Kemp said softly, "Don't think that. It isn't true. It was just a heat of the moment thing."

Dylan looked at Cam with watery eyes. Eyes so different from the ones that had gleamed with mischief only minutes before. "You want to know what's funny about what you said before? About us betraying one another? The irony. The only time we ever betrayed each other was with you guys. When we fought over you. When we fought _**for**_ you. The ten of us, we make so much sense, but at the end of the day, you guys are our downfall."

Cam had nothing to say to that. The other guys looked equally uncomfortable.

"Everything about us is ironic." Massie added. "You hate us for the same reasons others love and admire us. We hate you because you don't love us like everyone else does. At the end of the day, what is the battle really over? Love or hate?"

Chris laughed running his hand over his face tiredly. He pulled out a pack of Camel Black cigarettes, took one, and passed the box to the other boys sensing that they needed one also. "Now that's funny. Us hating you. Not possible."

The PC was surprised. They hadn't known that the boys smoked. It bothered them that they didn't know everything there was to know about them anymore. Josh went over to the window and opened it wide letting the smoke out. They all noticed that snow had begun falling thickly outside, but Josh showed no signs of closing it.

"Gross habit you guys picked up, huh." Alicia commented wrinkling her nose.

Derrick shrugged. "I guess."

"So about you not hating us." Claire muttered forcing the conversation back to where it had previously been. "Are you sure about that?"

"100 percent." Cam chuckled. "Massie was right when she said we don't love you like everyone else does. It's much more different than that."

The other boys visibly tensed but didn't add anything. They exchanged eye conversations. Although Massie did it often with the girls, it annoyed her when she wasn't in on it.

Alicia broke into a grin. "I think I know what's going on here, girls. The boys here are afraid to admit that though we're possibly the worst thing that ever happened to them, they love us dearly. It's okay. We won't hold it against you. The feeling is mutual. You're our best friends slash worst enemies. That makes you the best kind of friends." She looked at them all good-naturedly.

"Friends." Kemp said huffing out a large puff of smoke. "Is that what this is?"

The other boys snapped their heads to look at him. This time Massie could read their faces. They were telling him to shut up. He had said too much.

The PC looked at each other with wide eyes. _Did he just ask that? _Asking that would be asking them to establish a boundary. The need for a boundary would imply that the hanging out that had been going on was more than just platonic.

"Hurley," Derrick warned, "I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't shut up."

"Why should I?" Kemp seemed unconcerned with Derrick's threat. "It's just like A said. _All_ _of us are liars who pretend, pretend, pretend_. I'm tired of pretending."

"Pretending what?" Claire asked cautiously.

"Kemp…" Cam said dangerously.

Kemp locked eyes with Kristen. She swallowed.

"Don't say it." She pleaded, her multicolored eyes wide.

"I don't need to. You already know. You know how I feel about you. All of you already know how we feel about you." His gaze pierced through each of the girls.

Massie shook her head, but didn't respond. She purposely kept her eyes away from Derricks. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

The room was quiet. So much that they could hear each other's breath intakes. The guys stood and continued to smoke their cigarettes with shaky hands as they glared at Kemp, and the PC stood speechless.

Lunch would be over within the next ten minutes, but it seemed as if no one would move from their spots.

"Well say something." Josh uttered first, taking a last inhale of his cigarette before crushing it against the windowsill.

"Like what?" Alicia asked her face rosy with a subtle blush.

"Like…. Something." Chris said solemnly. "Anything really."

"There's nothing to say." Dylan insisted shifting her weight between both feet.

"Isn't there?" Cam questioned.

"No." Claire answered quickly. "There isn't."

"So what? You're just gonna act like this whole conversation never happened?" Derrick voiced. "It doesn't work that way. It's out in the open now. Kemp's right I guess. It's time for us to stop being cowards."

"You want to talk? Fine. Talk. But we've got nothing to say about what Kemp may or may not have just admitted." Massie mumbled scratching the back of her neck.

"There's no may or may not about it, Block. He said it. What's been going on here isn't just a friendship. There are feelings involved. Don't try to deny it."

"_Your_ feelings." Kristen whispered. "Not ours."

Kemp walked up to her, making her stand rigidly. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm only sure of one thing." She looked at him defiantly. "There are more important things to worry about."

Josh laughed and shook his head. "Like what? We haven't gotten anywhere on the A situation. So why don't we start talking about the elephant in the room. Or should I say elephants?"

"That's actually what we came to talk about." Massie said, relieved that she found an attention diverter. "I have a plan."

"That's great." Derrick responded. "But that doesn't mean that we're gonna change the topic so fast, Block."

"Well, unfortunately," Claire broke in with a fake grimace, "we're running out of time to talk. So why don't we move on to the topic that's far, far, far more important than….ykjnaxw." She mumbled the last part incoherently.

"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE," the intercom in the classroom blared suddenly making them all jump in surprise, "STUDENTS," Headmaster Fowler's raspy voice spoke, "THE WESTCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS JUST ALERTED US THAT OUR TOWN IS OFFICIALLY ON BLIZZARD WATCH. THIS MEANS WE ARE SNOWED IN THE BUILDING. YOUR PARENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED AND WE HAVE PROMISED NOT TO ALLOW ANYONE OUT OF THE SCHOOL. CLASSES ARE CANCELED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. AT THE MOMENT, PLEASE GRAB YOUR BELONGINGS OUT OF YOUR LOCKER AND REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM. THAT IS AN ORDER. THANK YOU." They heard the resident click of him signing off.

The boys instantly put out their cigarettes. Kemp turned to the window to see that the snow was falling even heavier and the ground outside was completely covered. He shut it.

"Well would you look at that," Cam sighed, "Now we have all the time in the world to talk."

"What are the fucking chances?" Dylan questioned looking at the girls in disbelief.

Reluctantly, the PC followed the boys out the door and into the hallway.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! Well I wrote this chapter relatively quick. I mostly spent a week editing it. I hope you enjoy. Thanks to all my reviewers. You made me so happy. I get my cast off in three days… YAY. Thank you to ****Spongefiend**** and ****MassingtonForever**** for their thoughts towards Rey. (the boy who died) Also my other reviewers… I love you. And a new one from ****fanfictionlover145.** **You made me laugh. A lot. So thank you for your kind words and criticism. I'll take everything you said and keep it in mind. XOXOXOXOXO**

Chapter 13

Out in the hallway, the PC hurried off without a backward glance to their lockers. Judging by the guys' faces, they definitely knew the girls were following orders, only because they didn't want to talk about what just went down in the choir room.

Massie nervously pulled her white Chanel shoulder bag out of her locker. She watched as her shaky hands fumbled for a few notebooks and tossed them inside. Her brain was on automatic mode at the moment.

The last thing she had expected to happen in that room had just happened.

_Derrington still had feelings for her? _

Derrington still had feelings for her.

Well, he sure wasn't acting like it. When Derrick liked a girl, he did everything in his power to get himself in her good graces. He and Massie, however, had fought like nobody's business several times over the past few months. Where was the sweetness and charm she had watched him use on so many girls after her? Where were the bouquets of roses he had doled out? Where were the dinner dates and tennis bracelets? Maybe if he had done any of these things, she would have seen this coming. A little warning would have been nice.

It wasn't that she didn't know he was attracted to her. His wandering hands, on occasion, had told her so. She also knew that if she ever wanted him to… you know….he wouldn't turn her down. But Derrick was a guy. He found a lot of girls attractive, she was no different. But he and the other guys were saying that they lik-lov-liked-…. She honestly didn't know what they were saying.

She looked around to see other students coming from the cafeteria to grab their stuff. Everyone looked psyched that school was over for the day.

_Idiots._ She thought._ Do_ _they not realize that we're stuck here until this blizzard is over?_

She checked her hair one more time before grabbing her stuff and shutting her locker. She turned around to see Derrington headed straight for her. Her eyes widened, but she forced herself to calm down and look at him nonchalantly.

"You're supposed to go straight to the auditorium." She told him bleakly.

He grinned at her. He seemed pretty chipper for someone who had just had their feelings rebuffed.

"I thought we could walk there together." He responded.

"Um… I'm waiting for the girls actually. They're gonna meet me here." She said with false regret.

"Somehow I highly doubt that they're coming." Derrick said.

She looked up at him in confusion.

"The other girls are being taken care of." He said answering her unspoken question. Suddenly, she understood what was going on. _The boys are trying to split us up._ Her mind flashed back to the tactic Detective Moakley tried to use on them back at the station a couple of weeks ago.

_**We'd like to talk to each of your children separately. It's easier to ask questions when the influence of their peers aren't in the way.**_

The boys were trying to do the same thing. It was much harder to get them to cave when they stood beside each other. Together, you were lucky if you even got them to listen to you.

"Where did your henchmen take my friends?' She demanded to know.

"Downstairs to the auditorium, Block." He answered in a 'duh' tone. "That's where everyone's going. Now come on." He took her right arm and began walking in the same direction as the rest of the crowd. His touch burned her, but she ignored it and tried to focus on keeping her things balanced in her other arm.

They continued the walk all the way down without talking. As soon as they arrived, she snatched her arm back from Derrick's grip and looked around for her friends. To her dismay, several hundred other kids were in the room, making it hard to spot anyone. As if on cue, Headmaster Fowler, who stood on the stage, spoke into the microphone.

"It seems that with the large number of people here and the addition of their belongings on top of that, we are running out of space. Anyone, who has not yet found a seat, please head over to the library."

She heard a groan from a few students, but they immediately turned around and started moving in the other direction. Massie, who hadn't been expecting the change of motion, got pushed into a sea of ginormous basketball players. Before she could react, she was squished between their large bodies.

"Excuse me," Massie grunted trying to see around them, but they were too tall. "I need to breathe. I'm claustrophobic." She felt the familiar uneasiness crawling in her skin that she felt every time she was in a tightly, enclosed space. They looked at her and a few of them muttered 'Hey, Massie', but they didn't stop moving, which made her realize it was probably wrong of her to expect that any of them even knew what that meant. Feeling a wave of nausea run through her, she noticed that it was getting much harder to breathe. Her exhales began to sound like pants. Without warning, she felt two large hands grip her hips and tug her out of the group.

Instantly, her head felt clearer and her heart slowed down. She looked at Derrington, who looked annoyed. But not with her, for once.

"Seriously? You guys couldn't let her out?" He asked sending them a miffed glare. They looked at him and didn't respond, choosing instead to keep shuffling forward. She felt thankful. The last thing they needed was a fight.

Derrick turned around and grabbed her hand. "Don't let go." He instructed her in the way that you would a small child.

She deliberated protesting, but quickly decided that getting sucked into the crowd was far worse than holding his hand. Gripping it more tightly to assure him that she wouldn't, she let him lead her out of the auditorium. She thought for a second, that she saw a flash of Claire's face, but quickly refuted that thought. _That_ blonde was sucking face with some guy.

Wait….Cam? She stopped in her tracks and turned to look again, but she couldn't see them anymore.

"Block, what's the hold up?" Derrick turned to look at her.

"N-Nothing," she whispered still looking around for them.

"Block, look at me." He brought her chin to face him. "What's wrong?" His concerned eyes stopped her from sparing the crowd another glance.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

He nodded and began walking again, at a faster pace this time. They passed by Lisette Carlyle, who glanced at their joined hands and gave Massie a sly smirk that said 'you can expect a phone call from me later, missy.'

When they got in the library, Derrick pulled her in the direction of the book aisles in the very back. It was then that she realized, he was taking her somewhere where they could be alone. She panicked.

"You know, Der," She halted in her steps chuckling nervously, "why don't we just sit right here at this table?" She nodded towards the table that was indeed behind her.

He looked at her and for the first time noticed that she was fidgeting. She watched him observe her closely trying to figure her out. For once, she had no idea what her face appeared to look like.

"You're scared." He whispered leaning into her.

"No." She attested leaning away. "I just don't understand why we need to go all the way back there."

He shrugged in a blasé manner, but his eyes bore into hers intensely. "It seemed appropriate."

"For what?" She asked. _Wait, no, you don't want to know._ "Why?" She reworded.

"Why not?" He asked back.

"Because we'll have to sit on the floor." She answered, relieved that she was able to come up with an answer quickly.

He had no response to that. She did a victory dance in her head.

"Block, I need to talk with you in private." He said in a low voice. "It's important. It's not about what Kemp told you. It's important."

She looked at him checking for any tell tale signs that he was lying. "….Swear?"

"Swear." He promised. Finding no dishonesty in his features, she relented.

"Okay. Let's go." Together, they walked to the last aisle at the very end of the library and sat themselves there. Massie was too busy thinking a dozen things to worry about her belongings touching the library floor. Derrick was seated on her right side, closer to the entranceway of the aisle, seemingly blocking her in.

Massie pulled out her cell. She was about to text the girls, but Derrington snatched it out of her hands.

"That can wait." He said putting it in his back pocket. "Let's talk."

"De-rrick." She broke his name in annoyance. She sighed.

"Fine. Start talking."

"Alright. I just wanted to ask you a few things."

She nodded telling him to get on with it.

"Can you honestly tell me that you only see me as a friend?" He asked.

"Ehmagawd, you said we weren't talking about that!" She screeched getting up abruptly.

"I lied. Sue me." He smirked getting up and standing in front of her.

"Well I'm leaving. Sue me." She leaned down to grab her stuff and was about to head off when he spoke.

"Without your phone?" He asked dangling it in front of her face. She reached for it, but he pulled it back before her arm even rose all the way.

"Gimme my phone, Derrick." She demanded angrily.

"Nope." He answered popping the 'p'.

"I'm nawt playing. Gimme it." She held out her hand.

"I'm not playing either. I said no." He sent her a challenging stare.

She stared back, trying to be intimidating. But it wasn't working. Derrick wasn't just some freshman LBR trying to cut Massie on the lunch line.

She dropped her stuff and lunged at him. "I said. GIVE. IT. TO. ME." She held tightly onto his fist trying to pry it away from his fingers. Her back was pressed into him and his arm held her waist in a firm grip, but she couldn't be bothered to worry about how inappropriate they were standing.

They struggled against each other for a while until Massie stopped abruptly. They were both breathing quickly from overexertion and she could feel his breath against her neck. His scent began to surround her and she hated how lightheaded it made her feel.

"If I give you this phone back," he spoke softly still holding onto her waist, "I'm gonna need something in return." His lips moved against her neck intentionally.

Her eyes began to flutter shut and her body melted into his, but before they could close completely, she heard a wave of rambunctious laughter from a group of kids coming from the other end of the library. Her eyes flew open and she jumped away from him.

"Fine, keep the stupid phone. I don't need it." She barked.

At first, he looked awfully peeved that she had moved away from him. But after letting out a resigned exhale, the corners of his pink mouth rose in that wicked way of his and he reached into his right front pocket. He pulled out something else.

"And your student I.D. card?" He questioned. "What with all the busy bodies walking about today, I'm almost positive that teachers will be asking to see them. And what will they say when dear Block here says she doesn't have it. I'll tell you. They'll say, "Detention." Everyone knows during emergency procedures like fire drills, and shooting lockdowns, and oh, I don't know, _**snow-ins**_, they always ask to present I.D.'s. What will you tell them then? "

She looked at him in shock.

_**She **__was the manipulator. Nawt Derrington. Who was this boy standing in front of her?_

"How did you get my I.D.?" She asked angrily.

"That's for me to know and for you to….not know." He quipped letting out a charming chuckle.

"You're disgusting." Her nose wrinkled as she watched him with contempt. "You're really gonna make me…do things to get my stuff back."

He snorted. "I'm not gonna make you do anything. Unless, of course, you want to. What just happened a few moments ago was completely unplanned. But judging by your reaction while it was happening, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that the answer to my first question is no. You don't see me as a friend. At least not completely. See, Block? That's all I want to do. Talk."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him irately. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to play this game with you, Derrick."

"Who said it's a game?" He asked with amusement.

"You did. The moment you stole my I.D." She snapped. "I told you I don't want to talk about this and you're forcing me to. So you know what? Ask your stupid questions, but don't expect to like my answers." She crossed her arms before plopping down on the floor again.

"Don't worry." He said sitting next to her. "I know better than to expect anything from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked sourly.

"It means I know better than to expect anything from you." He repeated becoming visibly annoyed with her already. "Can we move on?"

She rolled her eyes, but kept silent.

"I know," He began, "that you think I'm full of shit. And you're right. You have no reason to feel even a speck of the amount of feelings I feel for you. I did and said so many things to you when we were together that _**I **_can't even forgive myself for, so I don't expect you to. I'm just hoping you will."

"Derrick-" Massie spoke ready to stop him.

"No. Just **listen**." He urged.

She made a fleeting hand gesture letting him know to resume talking.

"Do you know that I can't even remember the first week after the last time we broke up? I pretty much drank myself into oblivion. I drank until I forgot my own name. But mostly….. until I forgot the look on your face when I threw your pin on the ground. I had seen you look a thousand ways at me, Block, but I had never seen you look humiliated. I hated myself. I literally couldn't bear to look at my face in the mirror."

He chuckled with a faraway look in his chocolate eyes. His expression grew serious. "I was fourteen years old and that feeling my father had told me about so many times before had begun to make so much sense. He had warned me. Told me that some girl would _destroy_ me. She would make me feel lower than low. And at first I thought I was crazy, that I had to be overreacting. That it had to be impossible for me to be that crazy about you. But then I saw my friends. Josh, Kemp, Chris, Cam… all of them were just as broken inside as I was. We spent days at each others' houses not saying a word. Just thinking about how everything could've gone differently. Sure girls liked us. In a town like Westchester, to feel like they mattered they needed to have the athlete boyfriend, the popularity, the trophy guy. But we had found five girls who mattered on their own. They didn't need us. They just _wanted_ us. And they were willing to do things no other girls did."

"Like what?" Massie asked doubtfully. "I'm sure every girl was willing. What'd these girls do that other girls couldn't?"

He paused for a few seconds and then began to tell her, each sentence rolling of his lips slowly as if he were saying them word for word as they appeared in his mind.

"Everything. It was them yelling at us and calling us embarrassing and childish every time we were about to go through crazy dares. Because in their own screwed up way, that was them letting us know that they were worried. It was them buying us tickets to see our favorite soccer team to celebrate Valentine's Day instead of forcing us to dress up and go to a snooty restaurant. It was them coming to all our matches, rain or shine. Celebrating when we won…. Holding us when we lost. It was," he grinned at her, "them spraying a whole bunch of perfume on our clothes when we weren't looking and marking us like property. Because while we pretended to find it annoying, it was actually the most adorable thing we'd ever seen. It was them watching gory horror movies with us, and not as an excuse to make out, but just because they liked them too, probably more than we did. It was them trying to cook for us even though they'd never prepared a meal before a day in their life. Emphasis on trying. It was sorta a disaster." Massie laughed at that one. "It was them telling us off when we were acting like douchebags, instead of letting it slide just so they could keep the girlfriend status. In moments like those, though they were few and far apart, they made us feel like we were special to them and there was no greater feeling…"

Massie got goosebumps from his warm rumbling voice. When Derrick was serious about something, he had a way of speaking that made everything he said sound like poetry. He very rarely fumbled over words and when he did, even then, he sounded enviously eloquent. She realized he was speaking as if he were describing girls whom she didn't know. And she listened to him describe them through the boys' eyes.

"They said ridiculously ditzy things like 'OMG' and 'LBR' but coming from them, it wasn't irritating, it was just…. funny. And they were funny, without even trying. And they walked and talked and breathed sexy…"

"Derrick." She murmured in a low voice looking away from him. "I think that's all I need to know."

He was quiet for a minute and she was curious as to what he was thinking, but she was afraid to ask.

"Do you believe in soul mates, Block?" He asked her making her turn back around to look at him.

"Sometimes." She whispered.

"Do you think it's possible that I'm your soul mate?" He asked just as softly.

"I think… that a soul mate is someone who is supposed to be in your life, someone who you connect with on a dimension that you'll never connect with anyone else. And I think… that if I were to pick from the list of guys I've ever had a hint of feelings for, you'd be it for me. But the thing about soul mates is… there's a common misconception that this person is someone you should be romantically involved with. I think a friend is equally as important to the soul as a lover. And I think you're a great friend. But for all I know, I may meet someone down the line who loves me more than anything. More than anyone. More than you."

"**Don't **say that to me." Derrick said gritting his teeth. "No one. No one's gonna love you more than I do. Not even the man you'll end up marrying someday. And I won't be jealous of him. I won't be jealous of _anyone_ who will come after me because we'll always be you and I. I knew you first. I _loved_ you first. I was the first person you ever kissed, the first person you ever let touch you, the first person who broke your heart, the first person's heart you broke. Remember that. Remember that even at thirteen years old, nothing even mattered to me but you. There's a reason why you never forget your first love. Young love is the purest love, both the weakest and the strongest. Adults say we're too young to know what it means," he laughed absentmindedly, "but they're wrong. Sure, some dumb kids throw it around like it means nothing, but if there's any time to give your heart to someone, it's now, when you're young. Before life has tainted you."

He leaned in closer and held her gaze. "No one loves you more than me, Massie. And no one **ever **will." His usage of her first name sounded sentimental now. Not like it did earlier today.

"Maybe. Maybe you're right. But if that were true than no one's hurt me more than you, Derrick. And no one **ever** will. Remember that even at thirteen, when everyone I knew just wanted to be wanted, I wanted to be wanted by you."

"I wanted you."

"Evidently not enough." She smirked wryly. "Turns out Massie Block was just another insecure, needy girl. Who woulda thunk?"

"I wanted you." He repeated. "More than you knew."

"Not enough." She shook her head. "Not enough for you to stop and notice that we were hanging by a thread way before Nina Callas' lips ever touched yours. She was just the straw that broke the camel's back."

"Of course Nina wasn't the problem. She wasn't even _**a**_ problem. She was just another obstacle that we created out of thin air. Just another Chris Abeley story. A misunderstanding. But for the life of me, I couldn't tell you what the real problem was. Care to fill me in?"

"We're talking in circles here." She said blandly. "I already told you. I needed attention."

"And I needed you. I still do."

She smiled ruefully. "Charming. But no. I'm not the same girl anymore. I don't need anything anymore. Because of you, I've made sure of it. That's another first for your list, Harrington. You tainted me before life ever got a chance."

He winced.

"Low blow." She apologized. "Sorry."

"No. You're probably right."

"It shouldn't have been that way. It shouldn't be this way now."She told him. "For all of us. We're too young to have experienced what we have. Too young to be feel this old."

"This is Westchester, Block. Our parents have left us alone or with nannies since we were in pre-K. You have to grow up before you're even out of the womb. Otherwise, you'll get eaten alive. We see things that a lot of kids don't see. Look at us. We're sixteen and we throw private parties every other weekend. We have enough money in our trust funds to feed a small third world country. With the way we live, it is practically impossible for things to be carefree and easy. That was the only way it could have been for us. And I don't regret it for a second. Do you?"

"Things are perfect the way they are right now." Was all she said. "They're easy now."

"No they're not. I act like it doesn't eat away at me that at any moment, some guy might come along and sweep you off your feet before you ever even consider giving us a chance. And you act like you don't see me waiting for you to."

"We need space."

"We've given each other _enough _space." Derrick snapped, his voice getting slightly raised. "A year and half worth of space. We did what we needed to do. It served its purpose, but it's done."

"And what purpose was that?" Massie asked bitterly. "For you to screw all the girls you were secretly dreaming about while your hands were up my shirt?_** I**_ did what I needed to do, Derrick. _**I **_stopped letting guys walk all over me. _**I **_grew as a person. Last year, all I saw you do, was a list of girls with I.Q.'s as small as their skirts. The only thing I saw you grow was an ego the size of Asia and a reputation. Was that why you really ended it? So you could get them all out of your system before you came crawling back to me?"

"That's not fair!" He growled grabbing her shoulders and pulling her roughly towards him. "You don't get to tell me that. You don't know how I was feeling last year. I despised you. We were done and all I wanted to do was forget you. I wanted to be wherever you weren't. But seeing as you're you and this isn't a big town, it was like asking an alcoholic to sit at a table with a bottle of whiskey and a glass and not drink it. And suddenly we were starting high school, and people were already kissing my ass, calling me a legend for making captain as a freshman, and I was waiting for you; **you **who was always so drawn to power. But I was stupid because, of course, you were already making it as a legend on your own and every time I would pass you in the hallways you didn't even notice I was there. Like I had never even mattered. And all the while, all I could think was, '_**What**_ kind of girl tells you she loves you and then forgets that you even _exist_?" He shook her forcefully, making her head bob back and forth. "'What kind of girl manages to make you hurt so much, but makes it out without a scratch on her, huh?' So of course, me being me, I did the opposite of what I should have. I was just as much of a fuck-up as I am now. I do and say all the wrong things, but I'm Derrick fucking Harrington. I'm cocky and I'm rich. And for some reason, people may not like what I do, but they don't ever just leave. And you. The girl who mattered. The girl who stood through all of my bullshit. I pushed you away and you let me. And you didn't bother coming back. And I just wanted you to feel an ounce of the pain I was feeling. I wanted to drown myself in any other set of pretty legs and perfume I could find. So don't use something that was your fault as a reason to walk away again, okay? " He yelled.

She kept her gaze trained to the carpet and clenched her hands into fists so he wouldn't see them tremble.

"Okay?" He gripped her jaw tightly forcing her to meet his eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah. Okay." When their eyes met, he seemed to calm down.

Immediately, he pulled her in and held her securely. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head. He had, actually, but that was probably last on the list of reasons why her heart was hammering in her chest. She kept her eyes firmly shut, making sure that she didn't cry. Mostly because she had done too much of that lately, but also because she knew he would beat himself up about going off on her.

"You told me today," She spoke into his shoulder, "that I won't let you remember, but I refuse to let you forget? What did you mean?"

It took him a few moments to answer, but eventually he did.

"I meant that every time you smile at me… or tease me… or boss me around… or remind me that I'm the only one who calls you Block that it's like you're forcing me to relive a thousand memories of the way we used to be. But then you want me to pretend that we never happened, that you never meant the world to me. That I don't want you just as bad I did a year and a half ago."

"You have a girlfriend. The girl on the phone, remember." She stated out of the blue, moving away from him. She didn't want to look at him so she reached in her bag for her mirror compact and began reapplying her Cherry Bomb gloss.

Derrick watched her do this, but she refused to look at him. She imagined his expression was something like:

_**Oh. Yeah…. That's right. Maybe I **__**should**__** factor her into the situation before I go proclaiming love to my ex-girlfriend.**_

"No." Derrick chortled. "I don't. Neither do the other guys. You and the others just assumed we did. We were hanging out with a few girls over the summer. But then we got back to DA and all of a sudden we were talking to you guys again and… just like that… dating other girls seemed unappealing."

"But you aren't dating us." Massie reminded him. "So you just… what? Stopped looking at other girls because we're your friends again?"

"Well considering the fact that we wanted you guys back then yeah, obviously."

"Pretty ballsy move. I hope you guys realize that whether we're getting back together with you or not is a two-person decision, Derrick. We can all decide to turn you down. What if we do?" She questioned her eyes flicking over to him briefly.

"Then… we'll wait. For as long as it takes. It _will_ happen. Eventually." He answered.

"No. It won't. I already explained myself. This can't happen. Honestly," she said slamming her compact and gloss back in her purse, "I think you're just being nostalgic about our past relationship because we're hanging out again. You'll get over it. Trust me."

"No. Trust _me_. If this is nostalgia, then I've been feeling it since the first day of freshman year. It's not going anywhere." He told her with exasperation. "I know what I want. Now would you please tell me what it is you want? You're constantly throwing me mixed signals."

She huffed. "From day one I made it _clear_ that if I was gonna have any sort of relationship with you, it would be a friendship. You're the one who's making it complicated. I have never led you to believe that I wanted anything more than that." She looked at him head on, trying to let him know with her eyes that there was no room for discussion.

"That's crap and you know it." He shook his head in disbelief. "You forget that I was with you for two years. I know when you're flirting."

"Um, hello Mr. Delusional," she hissed snidely, "I flirt with everyone! It's what I do. It's practically my job as an alpha to charm everyone."

"Yeah, but not with me." He responded with a serious face. He watched her face fall because she knew he was right. "You know it. I'm not one of your little admirers, Block. You're not a mirage to me. You're real. I've smelled your skin and kissed your mouth and picked your brain apart. You don't need to charm me." She looked away uncomfortably.

"Can we j-just not do this?" She said, hoping he didn't catch the stutter in her voice.

"No." He shook his head. "I need you to know. And now that you know, I need you to tell me how you're feeling. Don't think about the past. Or the future. Just how you feel now. At this very moment." He whispered putting a hand on her knee.

She smacked his hand off. "Don't."

"Don't what?" he asked leaning in closer, his breath on her face. "C'mon…don't what? Tell you the truth?"

"Don't do this." She breathed. "You could have any girl you wanted. Take your pick."

"I have. I have taken my pick." He said leaning to a mere centimeter away from her. At this angle, he was so close that she could only look into one of his eyes at a time.

"And she'd want you," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "She'd want you back. She wouldn't put you through what I put you through. She wouldn't give you grief. She would love everything about you that I hate. I don't feel anything for you."

"I don't believe you," he replied, "I don't believe you for a second. Why are you trying to make me somebody else's problem?" She could hear an odd mixture of wonder and hurt in his words.

"So you admit that you're a problem." She joked weakly averting her eyes and breaking their stare down. "I can't tell you that I feel the same way, Derrick. I'm just trying to protect you."

"You sure about that?" He implored. "Who are you trying to protect? Me or yourself?"

She didn't answer.

"I like your hair like this." He changed the topic pushing a few tendrils behind her ear. "It's messy. In a good way."

Of course, that made Massie want to fix it immediately until it was perfect. The disheveled low bun she had found cute this morning was working against her. She was quickly losing control of the situation.

"Derrick?" She asked softly.

"Hmmm?" He murmured his face mere inches away from hers.

"Are you sick? I noticed earlier today that your voice has been kind off. Do you need tea? I can go to the caf and get you some?" The words came flying out her mouth hurriedly as she made a move to get up.

"Block," He stopped her by grabbing her wrists. "I'm fine." His hands slipped to her waist and he pulled her closer until she was on his lap.

"Derrick." She whined. "I said don't." She realized that she could move away and told herself so, but her brain seemed to be mush right now, and it wasn't listening.

"It wouldn't have to be the same as last time." He spoke, his eyes boring into her. Pulling her in. "It could be like it is now. Fun. We'd have so much fun together. You and I, we would be as easy as breathing." He pulled her closer gripping her thighs so that she was straddling him.

"But…" She couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't think period.

He seemed to take her silence as an invitation. He brought his hands to the back of her neck and brought her lips to his.

She was surprised at how hot his mouth was. And by hot she didn't mean HOT…well that too… but she meant warm. They both kept their eyes open as he kissed her. As his lips moved against her still ones, she watched him, his eyes the color of milk chocolate, his hair the color of wet straw. Without her permission, her lips began to kiss him back. As soon as she did, his eyes closed, hers following suit.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid his tongue in her mouth. This kiss quickly became hungry and rough. His hands let go of her neck and slid to her lower back pushing her body further into his.

Massie felt a nagging voice somewhere deep, deep, _**deep**_ inside her that was feeling a little alarmed at what she was doing.

_What __**was **__she doing?_

They pulled away to get air, but his lips then latched onto her neck, making Massie gasp. She closed her eyes relishing the feeling for a bit before pulling his face back to hers, eager to taste him again. Derrick, who seemed very pleased now that she was fully into it, brought a hand to her left breast and squeezed it. She moaned and ground into his hips making him groan.

Massie could feel her skin prickling with heat as his hands stroked her body. The boy had a way with words. _And his tongue._ _And his hands. _She let out a guttural noise that would have been embarrassing if she hadn't been able to feel him getting as aroused as she was.

His hands flew to the front of her sweater dress and began unbuttoning it. She bit his bottom lip before reaching to help him. They unbuttoned until they reached her belly button before Massie just shrugged her torso out of it leaving the dress halfway on her. Immediately, Derrick began kissing her again more fervently, his hands rubbing the soft skin of her stomach. She shuddered at the contact, but pushed his hands away to yank both his sweater and t-shirt off. Dropping them to the floor, she latched onto his face again, caressing his skin in the same manner. After a few minutes, she took the initiative and pulled his hands behind her to the clasp of her bra. Apparently an expert, with a flick of his fingers it was unhinged. Just as she was about to slide it off, they heard gasps. Jerking away from each other, they turned to see a group of freshman, two boys and three girls run off.

"Oh my God!" Massie shrieked getting up. She quickly re-hooked her bra and pulled her dress back up. Fumbling to button it, she watched as Derrick easily slipped his shirt back on.

As soon as she looked decent, she ran out of the aisle leaving her stuff behind. She realized that the kids might be long gone now, but she refused to stop.

"Block!" Derrick called hurrying after her. "Where are you going!"

"To save my reputation." She spat.

She finally reached the main part of the library where most of the students sat. She whipped her head around looking for one of the kids who had seen them. Derrick turned around the corner and bumped into her making her stumble forward. Suddenly she noticed that they were all watching them closely. Massie looked at their faces. They looked like they just hit the jackpot of gossip.

"Holy Shit." She heard someone whisper. "They weren't lying. They were totally doing it back there."

"I know. Look at her dress." Someone whispered back. Massie glanced down at her dress to see it wrinkled with a few buttons latched in the wrong hole.

Massie felt like crying. For maybe the billionth time in the past few months. It was only a matter of time before a few girls would start labeling her a slut. The news was already spreading at lightning speed. She racked her brain for a solution.

Derrick had watched Massie panic, and luckily no one noticed how wobbly she stood in front of them, but him. Some guys at a table in the back had shot him a thumbs up, she guessed for the news that she had just been "pleasing" him only a moment ago. She saw him look at her guiltily and turn to the crowd, but before he could say anything, Massie's shoulders snapped back confidently and her lips curled into a smile.

"Hey, everyone." She called out addressing the whole room. "I'm gonna go ahead and guess that everyone is just as bummed as I am that we're stuck here the first day back from winter vacay." She heard murmurs of agreement. "But on the upside we're outta class so hey, not a total suckfest, right? Anyway, I just wanted to come here to let everyone know that though the holidays are over, I'm still feeling a little generous. So you guys will be the first to know that due to my upcoming b-day, I'm throwing an **out of this world** Sweet 16 and the whole school is invited!" She smiled widely when everyone cheered at her news. Many tables away, the teachers grading papers who were on watch duty, shot them all glares.

"I thought you said Sweet Sixteen's were lame." Derrick whispered.

She shot him a sharp look and he shut up.

"Expect invitations to arrive in the mail by the end of next week." She said to them, her face changing completely as she shot them a winning smile. "Which by the way, is the same week as," she put her arm around Derrick's lean waist, "my boyfriend Derrick's bachelor's auction. Please come by and support the soccer team. It would be much appreciated. Boys, just because you won't be bidding on anyone, don't let that stop you from coming. There will be food and drinks and tons of beautiful dateless girls who didn't win their night of romance." She winked. She heard the guys hoot and clap while one of them even called out a 'Thank you, Massie.' People immediately began chattering away again which made her a feel a teensy bit better.

Derrick played the part and smiled at everyone as if nothing Massie had said was out of the ordinary, but she could see that he was happily surprised that she had told everyone he was her boyfriend. She walked over and gave a double cheek kiss to Kelsey Craig, the cheering captain who jabbered on excitedly how great her Sweet had been last year. They exchanged pleasantries, but Massie could hear the other girls at her table whispering.

"OMG, I told you guys. They're dating again. Nobody wanted to believe me because they don't act like it. Derrick probably isn't into PDA."

"Apparently he's into quickies though." A bitchier voice said. She heard snickers.

"Whatever, I think it's cute. I think he really likes her."

"Whatever." The meaner one answered.

Massie, finishing up her conversation, turned on her heel to go back to the back of the library, but a voice stopped them. Mr. Ruiz, the Spanish teacher.

"You kids aren't supposed to be back there." He scowled. "Get your stuff and be back with the group in five minutes." He took in her appearance and obviously figured out what they had been doing.

She looked behind him to see that no one was paying attention. "Yes sir." She said politely and turned around to do as he said, with Derrick on her trail.

"So, boyfriend, huh?" Derrick said in a roundabout way as he walked beside her.

"Wipe that smug look off your face." She said somberly. "It's the only way for people to accept what happened between us."

He scoffed. "This is high school, Block. Hooking up is perfectly normal. Nobody would think any less of you."

"You don't know anything. Yes." She argued. "They would."

"No. They wouldn't. If girls like Olivia Ryan and Skye Hamilton can still show their faces at school, then believe me. You can."

"You don't get it." She hissed angrily, her voice cracking audibly. "It's one thing to come into high school and become the go-to hook up chick. People accept that you're that type of girl and move on. But if you establish that you're a "good girl" like me, or Lisette, or the other Pretty Committee girls, the kind with high standards, the kind that's too good for that, people, namely females, start waiting in the shadows for you to screw up! They wait for a scandal like this one to break out just so they can call you a tramp. And people will believe it. They hear Skye did whatever with this guy over the weekend? Typical. No big deal. But if word on the street is Massie fucked her ex-boyfriend in the back of the library? What a whore they'll say. It's different for girls. You, you'll probably get a pat on the back and another line of worshippers, but no not me. Unless I make it seem like it wasn't something dirty, but something out of love they'll never look at me the same."

"It wasn't something dirty. It **was** out of love." He answered, noticing how upset she was. "I love you."

"Derrick," she whimpered covering her eyes with her hands, "Don't make this the point in the future when I'll look back and say that this was the first of many mistakes."

"I won't." He responded. He moved closer and pulled her hands away from her face. "Hey. I won't." He promised.

He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Let's go get our stuff. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be back in, like, two minutes."

"Derrick?" She voiced as they walked back to the front of the library. She had fixed her dress and made sure her appearance was as flawless as usual.

"Yeah, Block?"

"I love you too. I think."

He smiled. "I know."

"Derrick?" She spoke again.

"Yeah, Block?"

"I almost went to third base with you. In the school library."

This time he grinned. "I know."

When they came back to join everyone again, they saw a new addition. The PC and the exes sat at one of the tables that, minutes before, had been empty.

"The auditorium was getting stuffy." Kemp explained before Massie or Derrick could ask.

Massie noticed that the girls were observing her closely.

"You know." She said narrowing her eyes at them in amusement.

"So it's true?" Dylan sputtered out in shock. "We overheard some junior girls telling a whole bunch of people."

"What exactly did you hear?" She asked suspiciously.

"That you and Goldilocks over here were playing doctor at the back of the library." Alicia said, making the whole group laugh.

"I wouldn't go that far. But yes, Goldilocks is very persuasive." She said tiredly. "Even I couldn't hold him off for very long."

"Okay can we stop with the Goldilocks?" Derrick complained.

"But it seems that I'm not the only one who has some fessing up to do." Massie said ignoring him. "I may have been imagining it, but I think I may have seen Kuh-laire giving Cammy boy a dental exam. It was pretty thorough if I may say so myself."

Claire blushed avoiding the other girls' eyes, but glared at Massie. "Nope. Never happened."

"Cam?" Massie's eyes flickered to him.

He shrugged and reached into his jumbo bag of gummy worms and popped some into his mouth.

"That may has well have been a yes." Kristen laughed.

"Oh, you're one to talk." Claire countered.

"Okay whatever." Kristen admitted. "I let Kemp kiss me. "

"Among other things." Kemp said grabbing some of Cam's gummy worms.

The PC gasped.

"You dirty little whore." Massie grinned at her. She watched as Kristen smacked him, knocking some of the worms out of his hand.

"Leesh." Dylan spoke turning her attention to the latina. "Tell me that you're nawt a traitor too. Tell me that, unlike these bitches," She gestured towards the other girls, "you didn't go ahead and hook up with the guys we promised each other we'd never go there with again."

"Dyl, I'm so sorry," she said in a small voice, "He totally took advantage of me!" She pointed at Josh accusingly.

Josh snorted. "Oh yeah? Was that before or after you stuck your-"

"Hey!" She yelled over their laughter. "Shut up! I was crying and he swept in and attacked me."

"I can't buh-lieve you guys!" Dylan cried. "You're _all_ whores! Am I the only one of us who has an ounce of self res-"

"Oh really?" Chris interrupted. "Because I'm _pretty sure_ when I asked you to be my girlfriend a while ago, you were gonna say yes. At least until that girl in my art class interrupted you to ask me if I wanted to be the nude model for her next piece."

This time Alicia gasped and shot Dylan an accusing look.

"Ew, Breanne Claffey is _**such**_ a skank!" Dylan said with disgust, "She uses that line on _every_ guy."

"You were jealous." He teased. "No worries, sex machine, you can stake your claim on me any day."

"I told you to stop calling me that!" She yelled ignoring the others' laughter, but it was obvious that she was fighting back a smile. "You're such a loser."

"No. You are." Cam broke in smiling widely, "In fact, every single girl at this table is a loser. Me and my boys are the winners today. You kept saying you didn't like us. But this just goes to show that we're just as irresistible as everyone says we are." He high-fived all of his friends, each of them looking equally proud.

"Who says I like you?" Claire voiced. "What if this is just purely physical? What if I just want you for your body?"

"It doesn't matter why you want me, babe." He grinned revealing a mouth full of gummies. "Just that you do. Sooner or later you'll love me just me just as much as I love you."

Claire's face softened. Without warning, she leapt out of her chair and began kissing him. He immediately tossed the bag of gummies on the table and pulled her on top of him.

"Oh. Okay. That's cool I guess." Josh, who was sitting inches away from the couple, retorted sarcastically. "Not disturbing at all. Just… right next me. Okay."

Claire, sensing she was making everyone else uncomfortable, pulled away, but not before pecking him one more time. She sat back down in her seat as if mauling Cam's face in public was the norm for her. They noticed that she was now chewing on a gummy that hadn't been in her mouth before she kissed him.

"So what's this I hear about you throwing a Sweet Sixteen, Massie?" Cam inquired, resuming his gummy worm binge.

"Yeah. Why were we the last to find out about it? And I thought you said they were lame." Alicia said bewildered.

"She did, right? That's what I said." Derrick muttered softly.

"I was saving my ass." Massie explained. "I was trying to distract everyone from the fact that he just walked in with lip gloss smeared on his face and my dress was buttoned wrong." She went on to tell them how she and Derrick were caught by sneaky little freshman who didn't hesitate to run off and tell everyone what they had witnessed. She wasn't shocked to find that their friends found it hilarious.

"You do realize that you now have to throw a party big enough for 600 plus people right?" Alicia asked.

"Yup." Massie sighed. "It's gonna be a nightmare. Now I need to get a performer and everything."

"If only you were best friends with the daughter of a successful TV journalist who has interviewed many talented musicians…" Dylan said wistfully shooting her a 'you're welcome' look.

"Thanks, baby." Massie puckered her lips throwing the red head an air kiss. "That's one thing off my list."

Just then, the lights in the library shut off. Suddenly submerged in darkness, voices were heard all around. A few dramatic squeals from girls, and a stream of expletives from others.

"Stay calm everyone," The voice of Mrs. Heinzman, the librarian, said. A few teachers came into the room and whispered something to her.

"Excuse me, students!" Coach Stenson yelled getting everyone's attention. They could only see the outline of his large body, making his voice the only thing recognizable. "I'm afraid we have some more bad news. As you can see, the electricity is now out in the whole school. This means that the condition of the blizzard has gotten bad enough to affect our power lines. Maintenance is working on restarting the generator, but until then, everyone must remain where they are. If you need to use the restroom, come to me and I will provide you with a flashlight."

A chorus of "This sucks!" and "When do we get out here?" broke through the room.

"Ehmagawd." Kristen groaned. "This day can't get any worse."

"Really?" Kemp asked sliding in closer to her. "Cause I was just thinking that this whole situation just got a whole lot better."

"Shut up." She responded thinking he was being sarcastic.

"No. I'm serious. I'm now stuck with my hot new girlfriend in a dark room. Where nobody can see if I drag her off to the back shelves to have some fun."

"Ha!" She chortled. "Keep dreamin' buddy."

"I always do." He said picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder before she could react. They listened until Kristen's protests got too far away to hear anymore.

_SMACK!_

"Don't even think about it." Alicia's voice snapped.

"Joy kill." Josh's voice answered.

"So…" Dylan's voice spoke, "Talking to you guys when I can't see you. Kinda awkward, not gonna lie."

"Well y'know… I never did get my big earth shattering kiss now that you're mine again." Chris said slyly.

She sighed. "Come on."

"And then there were six." Claire laughed.

"Four." Cam replied. "Take a walk with me, Claire."

And they were off.

"Two. Take a walk with me, Massie." Derrick spoke trying Cam's frankness.

"I'm nawt leaving Alicia here by herself." Massie insisted.

"Wh- She's not by herself. She's with me." Josh said.

"Thanks, Mass." They could all here the smile in Alicia's voice.

"No problem. It's cool." Massie said nonchalantly.

"Well it's kind of a problem for me, Block." Derrick huffed. "It's not as easy for guys to…. get their bodies to **calm down**."

"_Ew_." Alicia whispered. "Mass, just go."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

Alicia listened for a few seconds as Josh sat quietly and pouted.

"Oh let's go already, you big baby." She rolled her eyes getting up.

Josh smiled victoriously and led the way.

**BAM! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. I KNOW SOME OF YOU WERE WORRIED THAT THIS WASN'T GOING TO BE A ROMANCE FIC. I'M SNEAKY LIKE THAT! ;] REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm a bitch. I know. I left you hanging. But I am really (x's 200,000) sorry. I just want to say that from the time I last updated (approx. 3 months ago) I:**

**Went to Junior Prom.**

**Had a bad break up with my boyfriend of just under a year.**

**Fell in love with one of my guy friend's who has no clue.**

**Almost failed AP US History**

**Went through a month where when I wasn't at school, I was sleeping**

**Got a 1690 on my SATs **

**Felt like shit for not updating**

**Finished Junior Year with a bang**

**So if you haven't given up on me, keep reading. Today's my first day of summer vacay so WOOOOO! I ****WILL**** be updating really often. I love you guys, XOXOXOXO**

Chapter 14

Dylan laughed as Chris missed his target a second time, his warm mouth landing on her left nostril. They were in complete darkness somewhere in the library, their sense of touch the only thing to rely on. He was laughing too, but as he reached up to brush his fingers over her mouth, he was able to finally map out his destination and his lips latched onto hers.

To be honest, hooking up with Plovert was something she had been contemplating for weeks now. She had assumed that if she'd offered him a no strings agreement that he'd readily accept. But when she had put the idea out there an hour ago, he had turned her down. At the time, to say she was shocked was an understatement, but she quickly brushed it off and apologized for asking. She had inwardly scolded herself for assuming that he would be interested, but then he had thrown in a double whammy and told her that if they were going to be involved that he wanted "as many strings as possible."

It had been her turn to shut him down then. Being with Chris was nothing short of a catastrophe last time. Why would she want to do that to herself? She had told him to forget her offer, that it was a stupid idea in the first place, and that of course they should just continue being friends. But Chris had thrown her for a loop again. He had told her in so many words that now that the door was opened, it couldn't be shut again. He warned her that there was a chance he wouldn't be able to maintain a friendship with her. That he knew it was selfish, but he couldn't stand by her and act like it didn't bother him that she didn't want him back. And didn't she want him back?

Truthfully, Dylan didn't know. Not even as she let his hands wander to her chest. She didn't know if she wanted this. By this, she meant a relationship. She had said yes to being his girlfriend because she couldn't _**not**_ be with him. She wanted him. But that didn't mean she wanted to **be** with him. Knowing that that idea would only sound crazy to him, she never explained why she had been so hesitant. Being with Chris had been risky. And extremely unpredictable. And it _hurt_. The kind of hurt that was almost impossible to mask. The kind of hurt you feel when you're trying with all your power to make things right with that special guy, all the while he's looking at you like he couldn't care less. Not even Massie Block could pretend that that kind of hurt didn't affect her.

But wasn't that what love was or whatever? Leaving your heart in someone's hands and trusting them to love you enough not to crush it? Personally she thought that was bullshit. You always hurt the ones you love and the ones you love always hurt you. And when they do hurt you, it's supposed to be worse than what anyone else could do to you because if it doesn't, then you didn't love them that much in the first place. Better to feel pain for them than nothing at all. Right?

But she could remember how she felt after he broke up with her-or did she break up with him? Whatever. It didn't matter. At that moment on the phone she'd felt worthless. And ugly. And sad. Really, really sad. So maybe the only problem was that she was scared. Scared of what he could do to her emotional welfare. But the decision had been made. By her nonetheless. And she was just going to go with it. Love him. And let him love her.

"You're thinking too much. I can almost hear your thoughts." Chris smirked speaking against her mouth.

"Oh yeah? What am I thinking?" She asked.

"….You're wondering how you could've gotten this gorgeous piece of man in front of you all to yourself. And you're thinking about how lucky you are." He answered the wide grin so evident in his voice. "Am I right?"

"Oh _definitely_. I'm in awe of your gorgeousness." Dylan cooed sarcastically rolling her eyes. "You're such a jerk. I can't believe I'm letting you touch my boobs."

Chris snickered. "Believe it, sex machine. Cause as my girlfriend, it's now your duty to offer them up for a good touch up every few hours."

"Next time you call me sex machine you're gonna get hurt…" She laughed. "I wish I could actually see your groin right now so I would know exactly where to aim my knee."

"No need to see. Just feel."

"Okay, ew. Yeah, right. I'm nawt about to give it up in the middle of a blackout in the school library. Don't confuse me with one of your freshman floozies." She expected to hear him laugh, but all she heard was silence.

"Dylan," Chris said suddenly, his voice completely losing its jovial tone.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"I don't want you to think that- I'm not-" He abruptly stopped himself. She waited while he searched for the right words.

"Just say it." She prodded. He gripped her waist tighter before he spoke.

"I know that you heard about me… doing things with other girls last year. Some of it true. Some not. But….. I just want you to know that… I'm not, like, expecting you to, like, _**do**_ anything." She listened to him as he continued rambling nervously. "I don't want you to feel any pressure or anything. There's no rush. Just… _**being**_ together is fine for me. I, like, really like you and stuff and I just want you to know that… y'know as long as we're together, you don't have to worry about me seeing other girls or anything. Cause I just …_ missed _you. I missed _talking_ to you and _laughing_ with you and… and _kissing_ you," He chuckled softly, "and the only thing I want is for you to trust me again and…and I understand why you don't. I know that it's gonna take time and stuff, but I'll wait. For as long as it takes. I'll wait."

She stayed silent for a while when he finished.

"That was," She whispered, "Possibly the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, Christopher Plovert." She said as she grabbed his face and kissed him.

Pulling away from him, she spoke, "And the most pathetic. I mean 'I, like, really like you and stuff'?" After all the time we spent together that's the best you can do? We're gonna have to practice your declaration of love speeches."

He only laughed and pulled her back in.

Dylan could feel the bookshelf digging into her back and while this wasn't the most comfortable position, she was content. Even if this was a mistake, some mistakes were too fun to only make once. Besides, this Chris was a far better boyfriend than the boy she used to know already.

In the darkness, everything seemed more intimate. It was all about the sense of touch, about feeling warm breaths against skin and racing pulses. It was perfect.

So of course it had to end when the lights suddenly came on and they broke apart quickly.

"Oh shit! We have to get back. The teachers are going to wonder where we are!" Dylan hissed looking at Chris, but his eyes were glued somewhere else. She followed his gaze to the floor where, next to them, lay a large white envelope. On the cover in large black printed letters: **DYLAN MARVIL**

"He came." Chris whispered. "He was here."

When the lights came on, Kristen groaned. She had been lying on the floor of the library (Ehma-EW), while Kemp was on top of her, his lips attached to her neck. Her eyes had been open and when they were suddenly out of darkness, she flinched out of shock.

"Okay Kemp, we've got to get back now before they notice we're gone or we're toast." Kristen said tugging lightly on his hair.

"What can they do?" He asked rolling his eyes. "Give us detention? We're already stuck here."

"They can call our parents. Now I know Mama and Papa Hurley let you do whatever the hell you want, but _my _parents would not be pleased to find out that their daughter was caught getting frisky at school with a boy, not to mention that the boy is one of said daughter's ex-boyfriends, whom they never liked in the first place."

"Your parents didn't like me?" He asked getting up.

"You couldn't guess by the way my father used to burn holes through your head every time he saw you? Kemp, the first time they met you, you were outside my window coercing me to go sneak off with you to go make out. You couldn't possibly think you that you'd set a good first impression."

"Oh…" He said remembering, "Yeah… I forgot about that."

"Oh yeah…I forgot about that…" She mocked him in a goofy voice grabbing his hand. "Let's go."

When they got back, they were surprised to see the whole group already sitting. They seemed to be waiting for them and they all wore stony expressions.

"What? What happened?" Kristen asked nervously. "Are we in trouble?"

"No. The teachers are all too busy talking to notice that we weren't here."

"Then what's wrong?" She asked.

The only response she got was Dylan pulling something from her lap. She slapped it down on the table and that's when she knew.

"A." Kemp said before she could.

Chris nodded.

"What does it say?" He asked.

"We don't know yet. We were waiting for you guys. When the lights turned back on Dylan and I saw it on the floor right next to us. He was _right _next to us and we didn't even know." Chris said aggravation and fear, mostly the latter, leaking in his words.

"Well we're here." Kristen told him sitting down immediately as she said it. "Open it."

Kemp sat next to her and together, the whole group watched Dylan as she opened the envelope and pulled out a white parchment. In typed letters, she read:

_I know you think_

_That you don't know_

_Just who I really am_

_So __A__ you call me_

_But I think_

_It's time you call me __**SAM**_

_In fact you know me _

_Very well_

_I'm from your distant past_

_But you forget_

_The lives you've led_

_The people you've harassed_

_But Sam knows something _

_You don't know_

_And he loses patience fast_

_So play the game_

_He's arranged for you_

_And do just what he's asked_

_Sam has noticed everything_

_The color of your hair_

_I love the color red my dear_

_It brings out your despair_

_Please tell your friends_

_Don't look for me_

_Why, it seems _

_That's all they do_

_In this big little town_

_I'll hunt you all down_

_So I'd run if I were you!_

_~Sam I Am_

Dylan inhaled a shaky breath and looked up at the others. Her face was ashen making her jungle green eyes look uncharacteristically dark.

"I don't understand." She whispered. "What does he want?"

"Revenge." Claire replied, her head in her hands. "Why else would he bring up the past? We've done something to him, Dylan. To Sam. And now he's going to make us pay for it. One of us or all of us is gonna get hurt. I can feel it."

"He says," Alicia began hesitantly looking around, "he says we have to play the game. So if this is a game, we just need to find out the rules. And win."

"How are we supposed to do that?," Kristen asked furiously, her hazel eyes blazing. "He's told us absolutely nothing and when he does say something it's completely vague. I mean look at this," She snatched the poem out of Dylan's hands, "He talks about the past, then the color of her hair, then us. And look here. He says "In this little big town". That sounds oxymoronic. He's written it on purpose, but what does that even mean? I bet his names not even Sam. He's messing with us! If this is a game, then there's no way to win it and he knows that."

Kemp put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she didn't even appear to notice, her stature still noticeably on edge. Everyone else seemed speechless and unaware of what to say.

"Well," Massie spoke, breaking the spell. Her eyes stayed glued to the table not meeting anyone's eye. "If anything, I'm going down first. I've messed with a lot of people. It's about time it caught up with me."

Derrick gave her a scared look, but didn't say anything. There was a chance she was right.

"Massie, listen to me. We're your best friends." Dylan said with such conviction that Massie looked up. "The Pretty Committee does not make decisions lightly and they never have before. Anything we've ever done to someone was a collective choice. You know that. We don't look back. That's who we are. That's who we'll be tomorrow and the day after. We want things done right, so we do them ourselves. People get hurt in the process, including us, but we never back down. We always said that we stand united or not at all, remember? We made that promise right before we got to high school. So if he wants to take you or me or any of the other girls down for what we've done, then we go down together."

"Nobody is going down, okay? Just stop saying that." Chris said indignantly.

"Easy for you to say. Three down. Two to go. He's attacking the Pretty Committee. So far you're only on his radar out of association. You can still drop out of this." Kristen said giving Kemp a look letting him know that she was talking to him specifically.

"Hell no." He said shaking off her comment immediately.

"Could you just-"

"Kristen." His eyes hardened in that way they did when he was beginning to get angry with her. "No."

"She's right." Claire said with watery eyes giving Cam a pleading look. "This has gone too far. And we're getting pulled in deeper by the second. I can't let you get involved. So don't ask me to. You all need to stop helping us."

"You can't ask me to do that either." Cam replied. "Look, you need to stop worrying about how to get us out of this mess and start worrying about how to get yourselves out instead. There's no going back from this. He knows who we are and what we all are to each other. He has to know that by attacking you guys, that we're being affected too. If its war that he wants, then that's what he'll get."

And that was that. It was official. It was ten against one.

All around, teachers were calling spouses reassuring them of safety and students were calling parents complaining about the delay.

"Can't daddy do something about this? He's best friends with the mayor for Christ's sake! I've been sitting here for hours..." Skye Hamilton's high pitched voice could be heard shouting from the hallway.

"This is literally torture." Massie said as she felt her artfully messy updo begin to unravel while her head rested in Alicia's lap.

The group had long grown tired of sitting on the hard wooden chairs and reluctantly joined their peers on the carpeted floor of the library. The boys were busy discussing whether Asher Roth, Sam Adams, or Mac Miller was the better white indie rapper. Massie had answered Asher with a 'duh' and a dismissive eye roll and swayed the girls from their conversation.

"I know. And we skipped lunch to confront those idiots over there so I'm starving." Dylan groaned. "It's almost five thirty and we're still here. Isn't this against the law? Can a girl get an effing BLT or something?" She shouted the last part getting a few laughs and agreements from people around them.

"This has to officially be the weirdest day of my life." Alicia said softly. "It's like some deluded dream. I've gotten back together with the one guy, who only months before, I was swearing to never speak to again, I'm locked inside of my school, in the library, not to mention sitting on the floor, and there's a killer after me and my friends that everyone but me seems to want to pretend doesn't exist at the moment."

Claire blinked. "If you think about it, everything you've just described is the same exact thing we're going through so actually it's the weirdest day of all our lives. And secondly, we're not pretending he doesn't exist. There's just no way to discuss it with all these people around. Also, it's hard to be worrying about it when, at the moment, we're stuck inside our school while the apocalypse is raging in the form of a blizzard outside."

Suddenly, Headmaster Fowler's voice broke through the noise on the loudspeaker. With obvious exasperation in his voice he explained that Westchester, New York was no longer in the eye of the storm meaning that the blizzard, for the most part, was over.

"I would have you know that I have personally spoken to most of your parents and I am well aware that many of you have spoken to them as well. I can tell that many of you are getting restless and impatient and while that is understandable and expected, the weather has been an unfortunate setback for everyone. Your parents and I have come to a decision on how we should go about keeping you all as safe and comfortable as possible. Almost every road and highway is gridlocked making it impossible for any of you to get home, but we have been informed by the local authorities that several main roads have been plowed for emergencies. As you know, White Plains Community College is straight down Hammond Road into the next town and they have so kindly offered us two vacant dormitory buildings for the night. Dinner will be served later this evening as well as a bed to sleep in. On another note, our neighborhood rivals, Abner Double Day will be joining us and I ask that each and every one of you be on your best behavior. Remember that you represent your school. That is all. Now I would have to ask for all of the seniors to grab their things and exit first out to the charter buses awaiting you outside. Thank you." And with that, the click off of the loudspeakers resonated throughout the room.

Immediately, everyone stood up and outraged chattering broke out. Seniors complained about leaving their precious cars to freeze in the parking lot as they begrudgingly took their things and made their way out.

"Oh my fucking Gawd!" Alicia cried looking at the PC.

"We're spending the night with ADD kids?" Kristen asked with wide eyes. "In a _community college_?"

"Does anyone else smell a disaster coming on?" Dylan questioned. "Parties are one thing, but put a bunch of cranky teenagers from vastly different schools together for the whole night and you're just asking for trouble. 25 bucks says there'll be fist fight within the first 15 minutes."

"How is this even possible?" Alicia cried again, still not calmed down. "They can't hold us there like prisoners. I want to go home!" She shouted like a petulant child.

"Well apparently no one's parents are objecting this idea! So yeah, they _can _hold us like prisoners." Claire said, watching the juniors grab their stuff and begin to head out.

"Hey, can you believe this?" Derrick asked as he and the other guys came forward. "This day is getting weirder and weirder."

"Well this is ahb-viously some cosmic sign from a higher power or whatever…" Massie said with a look of incredulity.

"What do you mean?" Kemp asked wrapping an arm around Kristen's shoulder bringing her closer to him.

"Well this is all happening for a reason." Massie answered confidently. "We got another letter from A- I mean Sam today. Now think about it, he was only able to get to us without being noticed because of the blackout and because we went off alone. We went off alone because, coincidentally we're couples now. And what are the chances that all this would happen on the day we all got back together miraculously around the same time? What were the chances of us getting back together at all? How random was that? And now all of a sudden we're offered this perfect opportunity to have access to ADD kids. Kids who knew Regina. Kids who might possibly help us find out what she has to do with all this. Fate is not just tapping us on the shoulder. It's practically socking us in the face."

Dylan gasped loudly drawing attention to herself. "That makes so much sense." She whispered. "This is supposed to happen. It's just like that time when we all went to Henri Bendel looking for Mother's Day gifts for our moms and as soon as we walked in, we saw the imported Moroccan bath salts that Kate Moss used. And there were exactly five left for each of us.'" She said to the other girls who were suddenly looking at Massie as if everything she just said was completely rational.

"OMG. And that time when we got caught drinking at the bar in the Hamptons and our parents didn't let us leave the cabana so we just "happened" to end up meeting James Franco." Alicia said. "She's right." Josh looked at her in confusion and turned to Derrick for an explanation as to what the heck they were rambling about.

"Girls are crazy," Was Derrick's only response.

When the buses, filled with DA sophomores, arrived at White Plains Community College, hundreds of kids stood outside, 95 percent of whom looked thoroughly pissed. The majority of them were ADD students which wasn't at all surprising seeing as DA was a relatively small private school whose students consisted only of the daughters and sons of the wealthiest men and women of Westchester and its neighboring towns.

As Massie stepped off the bus, her nose immediately wrinkled sourly. She got so many dirty looks from girls that she didn't know that she almost snapped back in surprise. The Denwood Ames- Abner Doubleday rivalry was no secret, but she had never actually taken an active role in badmouthing the other school. She had no idea why she was getting so many nasty sneers. With closer observation, she watched them glare at other girls from her school. Then she followed the gaze of one of the girls all the way to the tall blonde boy standing next to her. Without realizing it, she laughed aloud.

"What's so funny?" Derrick looked at her bemused.

"In the point oh-five seconds I've been standing here it's already been determined that I'm a notorious bitch and you're a notorious hottie. Boys have no idea how easy they have it."

"What?" He asked as his face crumpled almost comically.

"Nothing." She turned away from him and looked around again. She watched as the freshman DA buses arrived letting all the 9th graders off.

"Why is everyone just standing here?" Alicia appeared at Massie's side with Josh closely behind her. "What are we supposed to be waiting for?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but hopefully we can go inside soon. I don't want end up looking like that girl." She said pointedly looking at a tiny girl from ADD who stood by herself visibly shivering with a cherry red nose.

As if on cue, a tall man in a parka with a speakerphone stood on a stool outside the door of the dormitories.

"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE? EVERYONE, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? WELCOME TO WHITE PLAINS COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE WEATHER HAS BROUGHT YOU ALL HERE. I AM QUITE SORRY FOR THE DELAY BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU ALL INSIDE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAD A HOLD UP BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE OF ACCOMODATIONS. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ABLE TO SORT THINGS OUT IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. THE BUILDING YOU SEE BEHIND ME IS SEELEY HALL. ALONGSIDE IT, TO OUR RIGHT YOU'LL SEE ANOTHER BUILDING, BRECK HALL. ALL OF YOU LADIES WILL BE STAYING IN SEELEY AND ALL OF YOU GENTLEMEN WILL BE IN BRECK. INSIDE, YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A ROOM NUMBER, A PILLOW, A BLANKET, AND A MEAL CARD. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU BY YOUR STUDENT ROOM ADVISORS. EVERYONE MUST NOW BEGIN HEADING INSIDE TO YOUR PLACE OF REST FOR THE NIGHT. THANK YOU."

"Questionnnn!" A loud male voice broke from the crowd, his hand in the air. Massie quickly assessed him. Obviously an ADD kid, he was average height, but had what appeared to be a nice body. He was cute with curly jet black hair and from what she could see he wore grey skinny jeans and had a lip ring.

"YES?"

"We're going inside and it's only 6:00. At any point, can we visit the girls' building?"

"No. I think you can survive without them for a little bit." The man answered plainly with a smirk before walking away, ignoring the groans from the hormone-filled teenage boys.

Girls were already hugging their boyfriends and guy friends goodbye, eager to get inside. Massie turned to Derrick who was looking at her expectantly.

He leaned in, grabbing both of her cheeks and brought her in for a kiss. She was surprised by how enthusiastic he was. His tongue was in her mouth before she could even register what he was doing. He bit her lips, slowly but surely removing the NYX cherry lip stain she had just applied. She kissed back of course, happy simply because he seemed to be. She was on the verge of running out of oxygen when she heard a very familiar voice.

"Mr. Harrington," Detective Moakley spoke as he and Detective Falk came out what appeared to be nowhere. "I wasn't sure who was stuck to your face from far away. Nice to see you Miss Block. I can that tell you're both enjoying each other's lunch."

Derrick snorted and pulled away. It was unusual for the serious man to crack a joke. Massie looked around for her friends only to see them standing a couple yards away, each of them deep in conversation with their boyfriend.

"Um…hi." Derrick said awkwardly holding his hand out which Moakley shook firmly. Massie gave Falk a pretty smile, knowing the woman had always been nice to her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Massie asked trying to be polite.

"Well," Falk looked at her, "the last time the kids from these two schools got together, a girl died. Also, this investigation isn't over. We just came by to look into further developments."

"Developments? Like you found something?" Massie asked hopefully.

"I'm not allowed to disclose that information to you. I'm sorry." She said genuinely apologetic.

"Have either of you or your friends found out something involving that night?" Moakley asked directly to Massie.

Massie looked at Derrick barely for a split second, but it didn't escape Moakley's attention.

"No." She lied. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew that if she told him what was going on with them right now that this SAM person was going to come after them full force. And Massie Block may be a strong girl, but she was still 15 and scared.

"Are you sure?" His eyes bore into hers intensely. Luckily, Massie was an expert at keeping a straight face and even better at holding eye contact. She was proud to say that he looked away first, quickly diverting his attentions to Derrick.

"How about you?"

"No. If there was, you'd be the first to know." He said with a look that Mother Theresa would've envied. Somehow, Massie could still tell that neither detective was convinced.

"How about the rest of your friends?" He persisted.

"You'd have to ask them." Massie said pointing to where the others were standing, but neither detective even turned to look. They kept their eyes locked firmly on her and Derrick.

"I'm sure that if anything happened, they'd let you two know, wouldn't they?" Falk asked in an odd tone.

"Why would you say that?" Derrick's eyebrow quirked with amusement.

"Well we've asked around and it seems that whenever anything involving Denwood-Ames Academy is brought to our attention, a few select names are repeatedly brought up, two of them being yours."

"I'm not following you." Massie looked at them warily. "What do you mean by our names are brought up? Brought up how? Like about Regina?"

"No," Moakley shook his head, "Brought up in general. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're quite well-known around town."

"Well we've lived here our whole lives so…" Derrick trailed off confused as to what this had to do with anything.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Massie questioned growing tired of beating around the bush.

"It's obvious," Falk sighed, "where you stand in the social hierarchy. We know that you two have a lot of influence in what does and doesn't happen-"

"And also what gets said and is kept secret," Moakley cut her off.

Derrick scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Me and Block can't even chew a wad of gum without everyone finding out about it. Almost nothing in this town is kept secret."

"Now see….. I find that very hard to believe because evidently, what happened at Skye's party is still completely a mystery. 750 teenagers were in one place during one night and absolutely no one can tell me _anything_. No one can admit to anything, not even to being intoxicated, even though the evidence to _that _is plain as day. Somebody is keeping them quiet. Now we have a list of the names Skylar Hamilton, Warren Aspeth, Lisette Carlyle, Rafi Gavron, Shauna Foster, Michael Ritter, and the two of you. According to everyone, you're in charge. What I don't know is what it is exactly that gives the eight of you so much power over everyone. But that's not completely important right now. Right now I need you to call off your dogs."

"Our _**what**_?" Massie asked him incredulously.

"It's an expression," Falk explained calmly. "We've already talked to the others. If it actually _is_ you that's stopping everyone from talking, we need you to stop. Regina's parents need peace of mind, as do all of the parents in this town. The only way to find our killer is if people start cooperating. Starting with you."

"What makes you think that we're not cooperating?" Derrick asked with disbelief.

"Let me tell you something," Moakley spoke in a low voice, "I've worked on hundreds of cases like this one and you'd be surprised by how many of them happen in or near a room surrounded with people. Someone **always** knows something. The reason they don't come forward with information varies. Now I've been in this town for a few months and there is one fact that is continually being made blatantly obvious, and that's that money allows people like you and your friends to get away with almost anything. I'm not trying to expose any of your deepest darkest secrets. I'm trying to do my job. And my job is to bring that girl some justice. Now I'm going to ask you again. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Massie glanced up at Derrick again, but his face was impassive. She somehow knew he was feeling as guilty as she was. She swallowed making a split second decision and turned to the detectives.

Her amber eyes looked at them bravely. "First…. you'll need to talk to Skye again. If you need any details about the party, she'll have them. If she still doesn't say anything, tell her that," she paused, partially to make sure that she wanted to do this, but mostly so that they heard her, "tell her that I sent you and that I told you that if she helps you out that I can guarantee her the Torch. If she looks skeptical, tell her that Lisette already gave me the insurance policy form to the necklace. She'll either be really happy or really pissed but either way she'll talk."

"How do you know that she will?" Falk asked at the same time that Moakley asked: "What's the torch?"

She rolled her eyes, not even caring if she appeared rude. She was doing them a favor. A huge one.

"She just will, okay? I have a lot of things Skye wants and the Torch is one of them. The Torch is a metaphor. You know the saying 'To pass the torch?' It's basically what makes you Queen. It's the seal of approval from the current head alpha. The necklace is a conch shell pendant that has been passed down to every head alpha since 1978. I don't know if you noticed, but Lisette wears it. She's had it since her sophomore year and she's never to take it off until she officially hands over her title. Skye's been fighting me for it ever since I got here, but Lisette doesn't want whatever she's offering. Anyway, if Skye gets it, it's not the end of the world. It'll be her senior year after all, not mine. Plus, though she'll pretend it doesn't bother her, she'll have to go through all of next year knowing that if not for this, it would've been mine." She smirked. "Anyway, like I said, everyone knows that as soon as Lisette leaves, Denwood-Ames is my domain. The necklace is just a silly tradition. I can give it up if that'll help you out."

"Well…. Thank you?" Moakley sputtered unsure of what to say. He was on an information overload. He had heard of a high school caste system, but never of one so well thought out. They had alphas? What was wrong with this town? "But you still haven't told us what** you** know."

"That'll have to wait." Derrick regained his voice, throwing an arm loosely around her shoulders. He looked around to see if anyone was watching them and lowered his voice, but if someone were to gather his expression from far away he could've been talking about the weather. "We have something for you, but you have to be patient. We're with the ADD kids today so we'll ask around about the girl. We don't know what she has to do with this, but I can tell you one thing." He looked directly at them this time. "He goes to Denwood-Ames. And he knows who both of you are. He knows who I am, who Block is, who our best friends are. He knows entirely too much. That's all I can say."

Moakley, looking outraged, glared. "_That's all you can say_? Tell me something, were you ever planning on telling us anything? I'd say you know hell of a lot more than nothing. How do you know our perp is male? Or that he goes to your school? Has he been keeping tabs on you?"

"You could say that." Massie answered for him. "We can't talk right now. And especially not here. This is a lot more complicated than you think. A lot more people are in involved in this than you think."

"Including you?" Falk said taking a step closer to Massie. She looked closely at the confident, rich teenage girl and knew that something wasn't right.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"That's crap." The male detective snapped again. "All we've been getting from you is 'I don't knows' only to find out that you know quite a bit. Answer me this question: Are you and your friends somehow involved Regina's death?"

"Yes and no." Derrick answered growing antsy as he looked around. "Look, we're not trying to be unspecific on purpose. We're trying to tell you as much as we can-"

"No." Moakley interrupted. "You're not. You can tell me everything. What is it? Are you scared?"

Neither of them answered, but that, itself, was an answer and realizing that, his face softened. He seemed to notice that the couple in front of him, though they wore clothes that were probably more expensive than his and carried themselves like most of the teens in Westchester did, with an air of premature awareness of the world around them, that they were just kids. Unsure of themselves and very, very confused.

"You listen to me." He stepped closer and looked into Derrick's eyes with a fierce look in his eye. It was almost…fatherly. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Do you hear me? I will not let anything happen to you. I apologize for reacting the way I did, but I need you. I'll admit it. You and your friends are getting me farther in this case than all the officers and parents or even me and my partner could. I'm glad to hear that you're looking into this, but you need to tell me right now and be honest. By helping us, are you putting yourselves in any danger?"

"Yes." Derrick answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Alright. Then don't. That's an order. I'm telling you to stop whatever it is you're doing."

"It's not that simple." Massie whispered.

"Why? What aren't you telling me?"

She shrugged.

"Massie." He said sternly. It was weird to hear him call her by her first name and not Miss Block.

"We didn't get ourselves involved in this, detective. He made sure to involve us."

"Who's he?"

"Now that… that I really don't know."

"We have to go inside now." Derrick said abruptly ending the conversation. "Come on, Block." He pulled her along before she could even get another word in.

She stumbled along after him in the thick snow, trying to keep up with his longer legs.

"That was a bad idea." Derrick muttered scolding himself.

"Why? What's wrong?" Massie asked worriedly.

"He could've seen us. That's what's wrong. We know what this guy is capable of. Now I want you to get inside." He gestured to the other boys who dragged the rest of the Pretty Committee in tow.

"What did those detectives want?" Kemp asked.

"A lot of things. We sort of let them know that we're onto Regina's killer…" He looked at them unapologetically, but Massie had only seen him reprimand himself a minute ago and knew it was an act. He had his alpha face on.

"What?" "Why?" " Thank Gawd! What did they say?" Everyone asked at the same time.

"He wasn't going to lay off until we told him something." Massie answered for him. "They were angry at first or at least Moakley was, but they got over it pretty quick when they realized we were farther ahead in their investigation than they were. He told us to stay out of danger. I told him that that was impossible and we left."

"….This is good, right?" Claire wondered out loud.

"That depends," Massie said noncommittally, "If he saw us talking to them, he might do something."

"Like wh-" Dylan began to ask.

"Ladies," a petite brunette in a puffy blue coat came forward smiling brightly, "Hi. I'm Julie. I'm a freshman at WPCC and the Room Advisor at Seeley Hall today for the girls. Boys, my friend Dean will be waiting right outside the door at Breck to assist you. For now, I'd ask for you guys to say your goodbyes and for the girls to follow me."

Exchanging small pecks and hugs, they parted ways. Massie, feeling Derrington's eyes on her, turned her head to look at him just in time to catch him mouth 'Be careful.' 'I'll call you tonight.' She mouthed back. It was odd. Massie had never been the clingy or sappy type, but being separated from her boyfriend of a couple of hours was making her unusually sad.

"You guys are so cute!" Julie squealed scrunching up her nose cutely. Massie observed the spatter of freckles across the girl's face and her wide hazel eyes and decided that she liked her. She may have been dressed in the fugliest winter coat ever made, but she was adorable in a way and it made it kind of hard to be mean to her so she just smiled pretended to listen to her chatter on about seemingly nothing.

"So you guys come from Denwood-Ames? I went to Mount Vernon High two towns away, but I've heard of your school. Someone told me your class rings are made out of diamonds. How luxurious is that? Every time I drive by your school I see the most beautiful cars coming out of the parking lot. My high school friends used to hate you guys because you had money, but I'm not like that. I mean how can you hate somebody cause they're rich? I mean it's not like you can help it. I think being rich makes you cool. I mean look at how you guys dress. Even your winter coats are all fancy. By the way, do you have highlights?" She asked Massie. "I was thinking about lightening my hair from chestnut brown to auburn brown like yours. What hair salon do you go to?"

"None. Jakkob, my personal hairstylist does my hair for me." She told her making sure to keep any snootiness out of her voice.

"Oh." Julie blinked blankly. "Of course."

Massie, realizing that it was impossible to talk about your personal hairstylist without sounding snooty, quickly tried to redeem herself.

"If you give me your number I can get him to do a free consultation on you if you want." She offered.

"Really?" She beamed. "Oh thank you!" She leaned in and gave Massie a tight hug that she only sort of returned. The rest of the PC looked at her in confusion. She, herself, didn't even know why she was being so nice to this girl. She guessed she was just running on a generous streak that started with taking Derrington back, helping the detectives get info out of Skye, willingly interacting with public school kids to help find Regina's killer, and now getting this girl an appointment with Jakkob. It felt sort of nice to be… nice.

"Girls, follow me." Julie said perkily. She leaned in as she walked and spoke softly. "I'm totally not supposed to be showing anyone preferential treatment, but since I can already tell you girls are awesome and I'm in charge, I'm gonna do it anyway."

Confused, they followed her through the large crowds of girls and passed by room through room where girls had already thrown their stuff staking their claim. Stopping at an elevator, they waited a small period of time for the doors to open. Stepping on, Julia waited until the entire PC was on before pressing the number 5 and leading them up. When they arrived on the fifth floor, they saw that this floor was almost completely empty. The first four rooms were filled, but the rest of the hallway was vacant. Massie also noticed that these rooms were triple the size of the one's downstairs, like mini apartments.

"This is my floor. Only the other student advisors and I get these rooms. You can have the one right next to mine, Room 504. There are only three beds, but they're queen sized so you can pair up and toss a coin for the bed by yourself. Also, you have private bathrooms inside your room and the vending machines are right over there." She pointed about two yards away where, indeed there were two vending machines, one for snacks, and one for drinks.

The PC looked at each other and squealed at their luck. Julie seemed pleased with their reaction.

"Any questions before I go?" She gazed at them expectantly.

The other girls shook their heads, but an idea popped in Massie's head.

"Do you think that you could spare one more room for three of my friends?" She asked sweetly.

Julie looked hesitant, but looking at the precious look on Massie's face, she relented. "Sure. Go get them."

"I'll just text them." Whipping out her phone, she sent a quick text.

'Come to the 5th floor. Bring Edie and Shayla. Take all ur stuff w/ u.'

10 minutes later, three pristinely dressed girls stepped onto the 5th floor looking confused.

Massie grinned when they walked forward. "Julie, meet Lisette Carlyle, Shayla Wadsworth, and Edie August. Girls, meet Julie." They exchanged pleasantries and polite smiles until Lisette finally looked at Massie.

"Why am I here?" Lisette narrowed her eyes at the PC.

"Cause I'm awesome and you love me and I got the three of you a room away from everyone with queen sized beds and a private bathroom." Massie cooed smugly.

"WHAT?" The three of them shrieked simultaneously.

"That's right." Julia stepped in, "Massie here is responsible for you guys getting room 505. That's right over there." She pointed a few doorways down. "It's right across the hall from them. If you go downstairs and anyone asks though, you're on the 3rd floor, Got it?"

Everyone nodded obediently and smiled at her one last time before she walked away.

"Bitch, how did you pull this off?" Lisette hugged her warmly while Edie and Shay went to hug the other girls.

"I have my ways." She gloated. "Now this isn't the Ritz-Carlton hotel or anything, but if we're gonna be locked in a dorm room at White Plains Community College, we're gonna have the best of the best."

"What about Skye and Shauna?" Lisette raised an eyebrow.

"Let them rot downstairs." Massie giggled. "I mean, they make sure to let me know at every chance possible that they don't like me. Shauna thinks she runs shit because she's Blake Lively's cousin. HA! Like seriously? Maybe if it were Leighton Meester you'd get the nod, but I don't think so honey." She smiled watching the other girls laugh at her bitchy commentary. "And Skye… don't even get me started with her. That girl has gotten me into more crap than you can imagine and all she had to do was throw a party."

"That reminds me." Lisette looked at her seriously. "Those detectives are downstairs. They were talking to her. After they left, she came up to me and said we need to talk. I wonder what that's about."

"The bitch couldn't even wait until all this was over to…" Massie muttered under her breath trailing off. She bit her lip and looked at Lisette pleadingly. "I know what she wants."

"What?" The senior alpha could already tell she wouldn't like what was about to be said just by looking at her face.

"Well they came to talk to me and Derrick first. They wanted some questions answered, but they said nobody's taking and they think it's our fault. All of the alphas. The guy said that he knows we're in charge and he thinks that we're somehow keeping everyone quiet. I don't know about you, but I have no idea what he's talking about. But I told him that I could help him on Skye's part. I told them to tell her that if she helps them find out details about her party, that I'll make sure you give her the Torch next year."

Lisette gasped with wide eyes and her hands flew to the pearl-encrusted conch shell on her neck.

"NO." She snarled. "You know that goes to you!"

"I know-"

"No! Apparently you don't! I am nawt leaving _my_ school in _her_ man-hands. Are you saying you don't want the torch? Becau-"

"No! Of course not! You're getting me all wrong here. Look, Liz, a girl is dead. She's dead and somebody knows something. I can't have that on my conscience. In a way, the detectives were right. Maybe if we did more to help, other people would do the same. I'm making sacrifices. Like we all should be doing. It's just a necklace. Next year, that school will be MINE, Torch or not. I swear on all things Louis Vuitton." She held her hand up in a mock-oath.

As she spoke, she watched Lisette give her a guilty look. Massie Block was never the more charitable one out of the two of them. "If you promise to make sure that she is literally fighting tooth and nail to stay on top then I'll do it. I'll give her the Torch."

"Okay."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Say, 'Lisette, I promise to outshine and outdo Skye Hamilton in anything and everything she does, thereby making her top alpha title look completely undeserved and myself Queen Bee."

"Lisette, I promise to outshine and outdo Skye Hamilton in everything she does… something something... which ultimately leads to me, in the end, being Queen Bee."

Lisette chuckled and hugged her tightly again. "I love you, Massie Block. You're like the little sister I never had."

Massie's heart swelled and hugged her back. "I know. Me too."

"Now," the older girl said pulling away with an evil smirk, "Tell me about this boyfriend of yours. Word on the street is someone was participating in very unladylike activities in the DA library. You're a total skank, Massie!"

Massie rolled her eyes and linked arms with her. "Follow me to my room and I'll tell you _allll_ about it."

**P.S. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO BREAK A PAGE WHEN I START FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW? IF SO, PM ME! 33333**


	15. Chapter 15

***I don't own the Clique or anything else recognizable.***

**Blame it on my laptop malfunctioning and me refusing to re-write this long ass chapter from memory. Laptop's fixed (Hopefully) Sorry for the delay. Next chapter will be up within 48 hours. To my readers/reviewers I love you all so much. Keep reading. It's getting good. XOXOXOXOXOXOXO **

Chapter 15

A knock was heard at the door. The PC, who had been scrutinizing their sparsely furnished room for the past 45 minutes, looked up to see one of the Room advisors whom Julie had introduced them to, Anna.

"Hey guys. Dinner's ready downstairs if you're hungry."

"Oh thank God." Dylan moaned getting up from her position on the floor.

"What's there to eat?" Claire asked following behind her.

"Umm Mac and cheese with chicken tenders or baked ziti I think. Oh and there's a salad bar for any of you here that are vegetarians. Ice cream sandwiches or cake for dessert. You guys are lucky. All of your options are edible. Today, at the regular caf they served a suspicious pot of chili. They get lazy when most of the students are off campus for the winter."

"Oh, thanks. Sounds great. The ziti. Not the suspicious chili." Massie smiled and looked at the PC with an 'Are you ready to do what I told you?' face.

Massie had told the girls that as soon as dinner was served, they were to go undercover immediately. Undercover as in 'pretend to be enjoying the poorly prepared meal they gave as they "mingled" with girls from ADD.' Kristen looked a little thrilled at the idea of being a spy and appeared to be the most anxious to go downstairs.

The girl gave them a questioning look. "By the way, have any of you seen Julie?"

"No." They answered in unison.

"We haven't seen her since she showed us our room. But we can check downstairs if you want?" Dylan said helpfully.

"Sure. That'd be great. If you see her, tell her I'm looking for her, will you?" With that, she left the room.

"Alright. Everybody have their phones on. And take them off vibrate. Ringer volume on high to ensure that you do NAWT miss a phone call. I want us to be able to reach each other at all times. You find out about anything that happened at the party that might help, stay on it. We know that Sam is not a girl, but that doesn't mean he can't have an accomplice or something so be careful what you say. And don't go off anywhere alone. Sam is undoubtedly keeping an eye on us tonight."

"Mass, we'll be fine," Claire assured her feeling a little warmth at Massie's concern. It still shocked her that the girl that she used to think was stuck up and heartless was now one of her closest, most protective friends. "Kristen, Dylan, and I can kick some serious girl-ass and we all know that Leesh screams at mirror-cracking decibels if she feels even the least bit threatened."

The other girls snickered as Alicia bit back a smile and gave Claire a nice view of her most indecent finger before leading them out.

''

Downstairs, the PC split up almost immediately. Each of them went up to get a plate of food, but sat down at different tables. Massie noticed that Detective Falk was in the room, but the woman was too enthralled with her plate of Mac and cheese to see her.

"Hi," Massie said to the group of girls she sat with, "I'm Massie. Massie Block. You guys go to Abner Double Day, right?"

All four girls looked at her as if she was speaking Russian.

"Yeah," the girl closest to her spoke finaly, "We know who you are. Nice to meet you. I'm Taylor. Taylor Driggs. This is Cassie, Heather, and Melissa."

"Hey." She said letting her eyes flicker to the table as if she were shy. "I was just wandering around without my friends and I don't know… I just felt like I should probably get to know a few kids that don't go to my school. You guys seem cool."

"Well thanks…" The girl who's name Massie had already forgotten said. "You seem cool too. We've heard a lot about you. I'm surprised. You're like so nice."

Massie felt her stomach drop. Taylor must have noticed because she glared at the other girl.

"What she meant was," she spoke quickly. "You know how stories always get mixed up around here. You never really know someone until you actually get to **know** them. And well… the stuff we heard was told by people who obviously don't know you. You seem really sweet.

Massie knew what the other girl really meant. It was no secret that as much as Massie was fawned over, most people, even in the teensiest way, kind of hated her. And as much as they tried to please her and be her friend, they secretly wished that she would fall from grace and end up on the bottom of the totem pole. She and the PC fought for the alpha position immediately upon their arrival at DA just like everyone expected. She had established a name for herself and along the way many people had added a number of not-so-gracious adjectives to her title. It didn't faze her anymore.

"No it's okay," Massie assured them. "I get it. Since I've started high school, I've gotten involved in some… questionable… situations. I know what people say about me. Some of it's even true." She smirked wryly.

"No way!" Another girl exclaimed. "You're totally chill from what I can tell. And it's nice of you to come over here and talk to us. Most people don't ever make an effort to change how people view them. I'm glad you're here. But just a_ little_ bit surprised. Not gonna lie."

"Thanks. It's just…" Massie, cautiously broaching the subject, averted her eyes again and took a sip out of her bottled water, "after what happened at Skye's party to that girl at your school. I just, I don't know. I know Skye well enough to know that she's said nothing about it… and I wanted to pay my respects to the people who knew her."

It was silent for a moment, but Massie kept her eyes on her salad as she ate and pretended to be oblivious. A mixture of guilt and fear that they'd see through what she was really doing left her with the urge to bolt and never look back, but Moakley's words from earlier swirled through her mind and refused to let her give in.

"Well thank you." Taylor said uneasily, but neither she nor the other girls looked at Massie as if what she said was strange so she stayed calm. "We did know Regina. We were sort of friends. Not too close, but we hung out on occasion. She was such a nice girl, the kind of nice that you never see in high school. It's a shame that something like that happened to her. Unbelievable even. I get sick thinking about the person who did it and how they haven't caught him yet."

The lettuce in Massie's mouth suddenly tasted sour. She swallowed with a lot of effort, and ignored the burning sensation in her tear ducts. "Were, uh, were any of you guys at the party?"

"Yeah, all of us. We saw her, too. Only for a couple of minutes, but she was so happy." Taylor's eyes looked far away as if she were seeing Regina that night right in front of her. "Her cheeks were glowing and she was laughing and dancing. She told me that she met a guy and she was waiting for him to ask for her number. I don't think she even got to see him again before whoever it was got to her and… you know." Her voice was low, but strangely enough, coming from the girl, the story didn't sound… gossipy.

An alarm was blaring off in Massie's head. "She met a guy? Was he from my school?"

She shrugged. "I really don't know. I think so though because if I knew him she probably would've given me a name. Never got to meet him, but after I found out about what happened I felt bad for him. Regina was so sweet and pretty. He probably thought he was meeting a cute girl and saw it going somewhere… and look what happens. It's terrifying."

Massie's breathing was staggered thinking about this mystery guy, but thankfully none of the girls seemed to notice. She wanted to ask more questions, but didn't want to seem pushy. She allowed herself one more.

"I know. It was so sad and the way things happened... I mean, weren't her friends around her? I can't get past the fact that nobody saw her leave the room."

"I know, right? There they are. Lisa Rodriguez and Brooke Henderson." She nodded her head in the direction of two girls sitting by themselves a couple of tables away. "They swear on their lives that she was with them one minute and gone the next. I don't know how you don't realize that your friend just dissipated into thin air, but that's their story." She shrugged.

"Do you think they know more?" Okay maybe just one more question.

"No idea. But my guess would be probably. It just doesn't make any sense."

Massie sat with them and continued small talk until she finished her salad, before excusing herself with promises to talk later. While she was brainstorming ways to talk to Brooke and Lisa, she spotted Kristen nodding with fake interest as a tall blonde spoke animatedly about something and Dylan laughing genuinely while eating ice cream sandwiches with two brunette twins.

They didn't seem to be doing the kind of mingling that she wanted them to, but she wasn't about to interrupt.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around to find Anna, Julie's friend, standing there.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but I still can't find Julie. Did you find her?"

"No, sorry. I forgot to look. She has to be somewhere around here. I'll help you find her though. I need to ask her for a favor anyway."

She decided to ask Julie if she could check out the sign-in list. She wanted to find out what room number Regina's friends were staying in. She had some more snooping to do. Absentmindedly, she wondered if the boys were doing as well as she was with finding information. The PC, _God _help them, didn't seem to be much help.

Walking with Anna, they asked around for her friend with no success.

Finally, when they spoke to Gigi, another room advisor, they got an answer.

"She might be in the laundry room. She told me she was washing her sheets yesterday."

When they reached the laundry room and opened the door, Massie felt her skin prickle as Anna let out a blood-curdling scream.

There, suspended on the fan by her bed sheets hanging by her neck, was a blue-faced, open-mouthed Julie.

''

Cops surrounded the packed dining hall as every single girl was ordered to stay put. No one was allowed to leave the room. No one was even allowed to move. After questioning her and Anna, the detectives led both of them to the crowded dimly lit room to join everyone and ordered them to remain seated.

They had been sitting there for hours. Anna had been sobbing non-stop since they found Julie. Massie didn't know how to console the girl so she didn't. She sat there wondering where in the room her friends were and didn't move. Massie checked her phone. It was 10:48. Looking around to make sure none of the cops were looking, she speed-dialed Derrington.

"Block, I was waiting for your call. I've been talking to some guys an-"

"Derrick," she whispered stopping him. "Something's happened."

"What? What's going on?" He asked.

"Look out your window."

She heard him get up from what she guessed was his bed and then it was silent.

"Block, there are cop cars outside of your building. A dozen of them. What the hell is going on over there?" He shouted.

As soon as she heard the distress in his voice, she felt an uneasy feeling clutch her throat again and she suddenly wanted to tell him the thoughts that had been rotating in her mind on repeat ever since she watched Julie swing mid-air with her eyes wide open.

"A girl," she struggled to keep her emotions in check and quickly realized it was lost cause. A sob broke through. Oh gawd. She was crying again. Since Regina's death, she had cried more in those months than she had in a lifetime. "She was an R.A. The girl who you saw us leave with this afternoon. She's dead."

"WHAT?" His voice rose even louder. ""Wh-How?"

"I walked into the laundry room and she was hanging there. On the fan. Somebody killed her. Somebody killed Julie."

"Wait? _You_ found her? What were you doing in the laundry room?"

"Me and the other R.A., Anna, were looking for her. I needed the list, because Brooke a-and Lisa, they might know who he is. And I needed to talk to them because they were with Regina. And they might've seen him." She tried to remain coherent through her whimpers, but she could tell it was very hard for him to keep up. He didn't know what list she was talking about or who Brooke and Lisa even were. She couldn't keep the hysterical ranting from spilling out of her mouth though.

"It was horrible. How? How could someone do that?" She didn't really expect an answer to her panicked rambling, but she couldn't force herself to stop. Listening to the weeps of the girl next to her only made the tears fall more freely.

She could hear worried voices asking for answers in the background. Voices that she knew belonged to Chris and Kemp.

Derrick ignored them and kept talking to her.

"Wait, slow down. What's going on right now? Where are you and the other girls?"

"Everyone's in the dining hall. They won't let us move. We even need escorts to go to the bathroom. I don't know where the other g-girls are. We got separated and now… and now there are too many people. I can't see them. I'm alone. Someone in here is a killer, Derrick, and I'm alone and my friends are alone and Julie was alone and now she's dead."

She realized that she sounded like she was losing it and that it was probably not a good idea to worry him that way, but she couldn't control herself as she hiccupped and continued to mewl noises that were supposed to be words at him. She just saw a girl hang by her broken neck from the ceiling. It was much easier to deal with Regina's death because she had never met the girl. She was just a name and a face on the front page of the newspaper. She had felt extremely guilty and scared about it, but not to this degree. Julie had been _living and breathing _only an hour or so before. She had hugged her and talked to her and…and...

"Block listen to me." he whispered soothingly, "I'm here. Stay on the phone. I'm here. The guys are on the phone with the other girls. They're okay, alright? We've got them all on the phone. They're worried about you though. You've got to calm down so that I can tell them you're okay. Are you calm?"

"Yeah." She lied. But she only proceeded to cry silently. "Yeah, I'm calm. How are we gonna get out of here, Derrick? It's like he planned this. The storm, the dorms, everything… How could he have known? This was perfect. Another crowd for him to hide in…"

"Are we sure it's a guy now, Block? How could he have passed through all those girls unnoticed?"

"The cops say it had to be. I heard them when they were asking me questions. They were saying that unless there's more than one person, no teenage girl could've fully carried Julie's weight while she was struggling and fighting them off. They said he must've snuck in before everyone else and stayed in the laundry room until somebody came in." She sniffled and buried her face further into her arms leaning on the table, so no one would hear her.

"Are they sure it was random? I mean she was talking to you guys earlier, right? He might've noticed and done this to purposely spook you."

Her heart sunk even lower. "I don't know, Der. It's a possibility I guess. I just don't know." A fresh batch of tears ran down her face. She just knew that she looked like crap. There was mascara all over hands where she had been repeatedly wiping her eyes and her face felt so warm that she could only imagine how red it was.

He sighed and she pictured him running his hands down his face tiredly. "I hate hearing you like this. Why are they making you guys stay there like that? They should get you out of there. Bring you over here or something. I don't know."

"There's probably no room."

"Well then we'll make room. We can put more people in a room. We can do co-ed for god's sake. I doubt anybody's trying to do anything but go to sleep after this has happened. They can't just keep you there like that in the dining hall all night. Most of the guys here got bored and are knocked out already. That's why none of us noticed what was going on next door. Are you tired?"

"Very," she said with a gravelly voice. She sighed shakily and distracted herself from Anna's gut wrenching sobs by listening to his voice. "But I don't even think I can sleep tonight. It feels like every little thing is making me jump. Everyone looks so scared and it's making me anxious. Like I feel like something's going to happen. Something really bad."

"You'll be alright. Just stay with me on the line. Just stay with me…"

_Just stay with me._

She repeated that in her head over and over. Listening to him made her feel a hundred times better. He had to be scared. She knew that. But he was keeping his emotions in control to be there for her.

She felt a lump rise in her throat, but this time for different reasons. She stayed quiet for a while, listening to him tell the other guys what was happening so that they could explain that Massie was okay. She let his voice calm her down until she had stopped crying completely. Her head felt fifty pounds heavier, but she didn't want him to stop talking so she spoke.

"Of course I'll stay with you. I haven't been able to get rid of you since the sixth grade."

He chuckled. "You're making jokes. That's a good thing. But you couldn't get rid of me if you tried. What Derrick Harrington wants, he gets. And I've got this _nagging feeling_ that you're just one of those things I'm always going to want."

And despite the situation and the fact that her voice was still raw from crying, something happened that assured Massie why she loved him. She smiled.

"Whoa. Those are big words there, Harrington. I think I heard a marriage proposal hidden in there somewhere. That's too bad though. I've already got a husband in mind. My heart has belonged to Robert Pattinson ever since I saw 'Remember Me.'"

"Impossible. Tousled hair vampire boy is betrothed to his awkward, pale co-star girl, no? Us Weekly magazine says they're sharing an apartment." She could hear the relief in his voice that he was successfully taking her mind away from the situation. She let him.

She rolled her eyes. "Us Weekly also said that Brad was leaving Angie for Jen. They know nothing. But look who's been reading up on their celeb gossip."

"I've got three older sisters and a mother. Copies of those things are practically falling out of every inch of furniture."

"Suuuure."

"Whatever, Block. You just wait until I get you good and drunk so we can tattoo Property of Derrick Harrington right on your ribs. That's how they brand cows, right?"

"Did you just call me a cow? _Wow_. I'll never marry you now." She said.

"_All's I know is_," he said in a horrible southern/italian accent. He always used it when he wanted to make her laugh. It worked every time. "_even if we don't end up gettin' hitched, I do believe you's is gonna be my partner in crime for as long as I live._"

She giggled before stopping abruptly when she thought about it. "By partner in crime, do you mean mistress? Cause I'm nobody's secondhand bitch, Harrington."

He laughed a deep belly laugh at the rudeness in her voice. She was back to normal. "Of course not. You're not low-key enough to be a mistress. Everyone would find out. And just because we live in Westchester where only half of the marriages are real ones, doesn't mean I'm going to turn into a slimy unfaithful husband. We're soul-mates, relationship or no, remember? I think we're going to be fighting on the phone just like this for the rest of our lives. We're gonna fight on the phone, in person, in the car, in fancy restaurants, in bars, in movies theatres, on airplanes," She laughed as he continued listing, " on vacation, In Europe, In South America, Asia, and Africa; Australia if we're lucky; in your house, or mine, or possibly ours, in the morning, in the afternoon, and when the sun goes down."

"Promise?" She whispered.

"Cross my heart. Hope to die." He whispered back.

"Holy hell, how did that happen?" She continued speaking in a soft voice.

"How did what happen?"

Using a perfectly rehearsed southern accent, she said to him, "_I do believe I done gone and fell in love with you._"

He was silent, but she wasn't at all scared of his reaction. At that moment, she was just glad to tell him. That she didn't just love him. But she was "in love" with him.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"…I'm thinking that it's sad that when I'll look back on this memory, it'll be under these circumstances. I'm thinking that I wish I was with you. I'm thinking that it drives me crazy to hear you upset and that though I'm happy to hear you laugh, I would much rather see it. And I'm thinking that it sucks that I don't even get to kiss you now that you've said the words that I've been dying to hear ever since I saw you for the first time."

His voice was soft, mostly, she realized, because his friends were near and would at a later date tease him mercilessly, and partially because his words were.

"Shut _up_. You're ruining it. You're gonna make me cry again. What with your stupid sexy low voice and your stupid unbelievably sappy, sweet words. When the hell did you decide to become perfect? Westchester never was and never will be the setting of a Nicholas Sparks book, Derrick. Got it?"

"Sorry." She could hear the grin in his lazy drawl though. He knew that she hated that she was putty in his hands.

"It's okay." She smiled softly, "I agree. I wish you were here too."

He sighed again and smothered a yawn so she wouldn't hear. She did anyway.

"You're tired. Go to bed." She ordered rising her head up from the table.

"No I'm not." He said in a tight voice, annoyed that he had let her hear that.

"Yes you are. I'll be fine. Thank you for making me feel better. We'll talk tomorrow morning. They look about ready to let us sleep anyway." She lied. If anything, the cops looked like they'd just started the investigation. All around her, girls were asleep in the fold-up chairs with their heads flat against the tables or their friends' laps.

"Liar. Kristen just complained that people are starting to sleep on tables."

"Kristen?" Massie perked up. "Can you tell Kemp to ask her where she is? I'm gonna sneak on over to her. As soon as I have company you can go to bed."

"Alright, I'll ask, but I'm not going to bed." She listened as he did what she asked.

"She says that she's toward the front of the room by the table where the food was."

"Sweet. I am too. Tell her to wave." She waited a few moments and looked around. Finally, she spotted the hand and it was only two tables away from her. Under the low-lit chandeliers, the blonde girl blended in with all the other heads. It was no wonder she hadn't seen her. Looking around and finding no eyes on her she dropped to the floor.

"I'm gonna hang up now." She whispered. "I need both hands to crawl."

"Okay, Block, but I'm calling you back in five minutes."

She sighed and hung up. Trying to keep her sense of direction while crawling proved to be more difficult than it looked. She glared at all the stupid girls who turned to watch her and unknowingly drew attention to her. Five minutes passed and Derrick was already calling her, but she ignored it. Finally, she spotted Kristen's purple ROXY sweatshirt.

"Kris," she whispered. Kristen whipped her head around and scooted over in her chair slyly and Massie plopped in. Sharing a seat wasn't completely comfortable, but neither girl seemed to mind as they hugged each other tightly. Massie felt ready to burst into tears again, but was relieved to laugh when she looked on the table to see Kristen's phone. Kemp's voice continued droning on, unaware that she had set her phone down.

"Boyfriends." She muttered showing Kristen her own phone which was buzzing with Derrick's number on the screen.

"Baby, Massie's here." Kristen said after picking up the phone, "Thanks for staying up to talk to me, but I can tell you're half-asleep. Don't lie. It's been a long day. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Wait, Massie wants to say something to you." She told him when Massie reached out for the phone.

"Tell Derrick that I say to stop calling and go to bed. You too, kay? G'night." She shut the phone before he could answer.

After one more try, Derrick stopped calling.

"I'm not saying that I look like Adriana Lima right now or anything, but honey, you look like shit." Kristen said gripping Massie's hand tightly.

Massie snorted. "I know. I was a blubbering mess when I called Derrington. I don't know how he does it, but he actually got me to laugh."

"I heard you found her."

"Yup."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Good," Kristen smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, but my nerves have been rattling for the past few hours worrying about you and the PC and the boys and…" She sighed, "I'm exhausted. By the way, do you know where the rest of the girls are?"

"No, just that they're fine. And no apology needed. I get it."

They both rested on the table in silence for a bit before Massie spoke again.

"You'll never guess what I want most right now."

"What?" Kristen looked at her curiously.

"I want to be in that other building, sleeping in a bed cuddled next to my boyfriend. When did I get to be '_**that girl'**_?"

Kristen grinned with sleepy eyes. "I don't know, but that actually sounds amazing. So I guess I'm '_**that girl' **_too."

"Sleeping in a bed with my boyfriend sounds amazing?" Massie joked. "You tramp."

Kristen giggled. "I love you. I'm so glad you're okay." She reached out and held her hand again.

"The feeling's mutual." She whispered and held on just as tight.

Together, the two friends closed their eyes on the uncomfortable table and joined the hundreds of other girls and faded into sleep.

''

Massie felt herself being shaken awake. She shot up hastily and almost fell out of her seat, before she remembered where she was. Kristen looked just as confused as she wiped the drool from her mouth.

"Miss Gregory, Miss Block. Come with me." Detective Moakley said much too loudly for them. Massie checked the time. It was 3:00 AM. They had been asleep for about 4 hours. She looked around and it was dark. The light had been left on, but only at a really low setting allowing all the girls to sleep. She noticed that only she and Kristen were awake.

"It was hard to find you two in all of this." He said with mild annoyance. Massie watched him. He looked wide awake, but his clothes were ruffled.

Massie stood up and felt her stiff muscles creak from the strain of standing upright. She and Kristen followed him.

"Where are we going?" Kristen asked him. He didn't answer.

It was when he pressed Floor 5 in the elevator that they knew. He was taking them to their room. When the doors opened, he led them out until they were in front of their room door and spoke.

"The reason you guys have been down there all night is that me and my men have searched every room in this building. Now we didn't expect to find him and we didn't, but we _were _looking for any evidence, slip-up, or anything remotely suspicious at all. And what do you know? My men find something. When I ask whose room it's in, imagine my non-surprise when it's yours."

He looked at them with a mixture of bitter resign and frustration.

Only a minute after they got off the elevator, it dinged behind them and both she and Kristen turned to see the rest of the PC still partially asleep exit with Falk. She gave them a weak smile, but they still glanced at her with concern.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Massie said silently telling the girls that she was fine with her eyes.

"Of course you don't." He said drawing back their attention with a clenched jaw.

"Awn-estly," Alicia yawned and seemed to understand what Massie had just told him. "If _**you're**_talking about what_** I**_ think you're talking about, then we really have _**no idea**_ what you're talking about. So why don't you show us?" The girl threw him a dirty look through her sleepy eyes.

He turned around and opened the door without another word.

Inside, the room looked untouched with the exception of the obvious thing. On the wall, written in perfect capital letters with what looked like red lipstick,

_**SECRETS, SECRETS ARE NO FUN. UNLESS THEY'RE SHARED WITH EVERYONE!**_

_**AND THE PRETTY COMMITTEE WILL SAY, "SAM, MY, WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE!"**_

_**IT IS THEN THAT SAM WILL SAY, "THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH." –Sam.**_

The room stayed silent as the detectives watched their reactions and the PC watched the message. They couldn't even bring themselves to be alarmed when these things happened anymore.

Massie stiffened. When you start to get used to a psycho leaving you messages, that's when you know that your life has turned to utter garbage.

Of course, they appeared upset, but not surprised which Moakley was quick to pick up on.

"Why do I get the feeling, just by looking at you, that this is not as much of a shock to you as it is to me?" He questioned.

When no one answered, he stormed closer to them.

"_Someone say something_!" He boomed making them flinch. Falk moved to grab his arm, but he shrugged her off. "From now on, _**no more secrets**_! I want you to start talking! Now! No one is leaving this room until one of you speaks."

A full minute passed before Dylan spoke up.

"What do you want to know?" She whispered.

"Everything." His volume lowered considerably, but he was nowhere near calm,

"I had to watch the other FBI agents pack up a second teenage girl in a body bag today." His voice cracked audibly, but he kept going, "Do you want to know what that feels like for me? I am 36 years old and I feel like my life has barely started yet. That girl was 18 and the one before her 16. _Teenagers should not die._ They have lives to live and things to experience and most importantly, people who love and need them. And someone is ripping that opportunity right out of their hands. I need to find him and make sure he pays. I _cannot _do that if no one will help me. I am _not_ asking you to do this for me. I am asking you to do this for them. And by the look of that," he gestured to Sam's writing, "I'm asking you to do this for you. It is only a matter of time before he comes for one of you and I think you know that. I can see the fear in your eyes. I want to help, but I need explanations. Big ones. Feel free to start from the beginning."

Alicia cleared her throat and after hesitating several times she began,

"Well I guess I'll start. Um. The reason we don't s- The reason why we don't seem shocked," Even with everything out in the open, she still hesitated, knowing that things were about to get a lot more complicated as soon as she told him. Everyone would know how involved they were in this. Her parents, her father especially, would not be pleased, "is because this has happened before. Not the writing on the wall… but the threatening us. Sam. His name is Sam. And he first made contact the same day you interrogated us for the second time. At the station when Claire told you about what she heard. He came through her room window while she wasn't home and…"

For the next twenty minutes, Alicia told them everything, from the notes to their plan to find him. Falk asked for them and Claire, who had been carrying them, couldn't have been gladder to take the burdening pieces of paper out of her purse and hand them over. Massie gave them the album. Both detectives looked like they had hit the jackpot, talking quickly into their walkie talkies and flipping through the evidence greedily.

"While I wish you had given us all this stuff much, _much _sooner," Moakley said through gritted teeth, "Thank you. You did the right thing." With that, he left the room.

Falk turned to look at them. "We've started moving everybody back upstairs to their rooms. I suggest you guys just stay in here and get some sleep. Wake-up call was moved a couple hours ahead so that you all could get more rest. Security detail will be on every floor, but your room especially will have two guards outside your door all night so no need to worry."

"We have to sleep in here with that?" Kristen asked pointing to Sam's lipstick writing.

"You've got a point. You're free to move into the next room. We'll make sure your stuff isn't touched."

They nodded and left the room. When 4 AM hit, the PC, without exchanging a word pushed all three of the room mattresses together to make one giant bed and fell asleep assured that they were safe, if not for good, then at least for the night.

''

Though they were definitely still tired, at 8:00 that morning the girls decided to finally get up. Checking their phones, they weren't surprised to see missed calls from their parents and the guys.

A second later, a swift knock was heard through the door and before they could respond Detective Falk walked in.

"Hey. Glad to see that everyone is awake. I have a few toiletries for you. Some toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. No showers though. You'll have to wait until you get home. The snow has hardened and most likely the roads are being plowed right now so we probably have just a bit more time left here before they let you go. Your parents should be here to get you soon."

"What happens now?" Dylan asked wearily. "About us I mean."

"Uhhh…" Falk looked contemplative about her answer before she spoke, "well… that is to be decided. Obviously, we're going to need to have a talk with your parents and then we can go from there."

She watched them look at her blankly before she continued taking.

"Look. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. I've been doing this for a while and only recently has it begun to get easier. At your age, I have no idea how you're dealing with this with such poise. Knowing what I know now, it seems beyond amazing to me that you managed to keep this from everyone all this time. My partner didn't believe you, but I'll admit to you that he had absolutely no proof that you were withholding information. You left no hints, no suspicions that you knew something. And… I almost want to applaud you for how good at acting you guys are, but I can't." She waited for them to speak up, but no one did.

"What you did was wrong. You almost jeopardized a murder case and possibly yourselves. I get that this is scary and very hard on you and if I could, I'd take away your involvement in this completely. But I can't. And **you** can't. All you can do is try to work with us here. So can I have your word that you're going to do that from now on?"

She waited again, letting her eyes rest on each of them for a moment.

"You can." Massie said softly. She walked forward and grabbed the bag of toiletries. "Thanks."

"No problem." The corner of Falk's lips rose into an almost smile and she exited the room.

When she left, the girls brushed their teeth and hair making sure that the remnants of last night's events were completely invisible and went downstairs.

''

The parents arrived right after breakfast. When the PC saw their parents walk through the doors of Seeley Hall, no one was more surprised than they were. They had assumed their mothers and fathers would send drivers.

Alicia watched as her father, clad in an expensive suit, glanced at his Bvulgari watch before leading her mother inside gently by her arm. She compared him to the father's of the ADD students who arrived in jeans and sweatshirts. She tried to see him through their eyes and watched other townspeople watch him shake the hand of an also impeccably dressed William Block. They both wore grave expressions. Judi Lyons stood with Kendra Block, but Mr. Lyons appeared to be suspiciously absent. Behind them, Merri-Lee Marvil whispered frantically to Diane and Peter Gregory.

Neither of their parents had noticed the girls watching them in the crowd yet and as they stood together, Alicia wondered why none of them bothered to move. But suddenly, she knew exactly why. When they came face to face with their parents, it was over. They knew about Sam. They knew about everything. What would happen to them now?

For once, as she watched her father walk in the emotionless, calculated manner oozing of wealth that he always did, she didn't feel pride. She wished he was like the other fathers, running to their daughters and reassuring them with warm words and dorky hugs. She had no doubts that her father adored her, but he had never been the affectionate type and she had a feeling by his stern face that he wasn't too happy with her. From what she could tell, none of their parents were.

"Claire!" Judi Lyons shouted spotting her daughter. In a flash all their parents' heads looked in their direction. She locked eyes with her father and gulped.

Walking through and around people, she reached her parents and was engulfed in a hug by her mother.

"_Niña_, I was so worried when we heard. Your father was calling everyone he knew to fix the roads so that we could get to you. Are you okay?" Nadia Rivera brushed her fingers over her daughter's face as if searching for any scratches or bruising.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine." She turned when she felt another hand on her shoulder.

Her father watched her thoughtfully, looking for something in her face. She wondered what it was. "When we get home, we'll talk. But for now, are you sure you're alright? You're looking pale. Have you eaten?"

_We'll talk. _That registered in her mind on repeat while she answered. "Um, yeah. They had a breakfast table earlier this morning." She hadn't eaten, but she wasn't hungry anyway. Just exhausted.

"Good." He continued to gaze at her with that eerie look on his face. Finally, he looked away.

"I hope you realize that a lot measures need to be taken now to clear up your involvement in this."

She wanted to chuckle at him and say, 'Well dad, that's going to be a lot harder than you signing a check. Do you really think I would've kept it from you for this long if it could be handled that way?' But she knew that all that would do was make him angry, so she figured she should already start pleading for her freedom, which no doubt would be taken away.

"Dad-" She started to say, but he cut her off before she could finish.

"No, Alicia. _I_ am the parent. You are the child. I don't know when you forgot that and decided you could do things on your own. Now I don't know the full details about what is going on, but as soon as we get home I expect you to fill me in. And if I find out that you're leaving anything out, I will make it so that you cannot so much as leave the house until this man is found. Are we clear?"

_Here we go_. She sighed inwardly.

"Crystal." She stared into the dark eyes that were identical to her own and wondered how this man got a woman as lovey-dovey as her mother to fall head over heels in love with him. It was then that she noticed his eyes soften.

"I love you."

"I love you too, dad." And though she knew he wouldn't return it, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.

''

Massie sat on her living room couch across from her parents and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And _waited_.

Waited for them to say something. After telling them everything, leaving out only irrelevant instances (Like being groped by Derrick in the school library and getting shit faced wasted at Skye's party) she grew uneasy as they said nothing.

Her mother watched her in a way that a mother would when suddenly realizing that the girl she had thought to be her daughter for 15 years was an imposter. Massie didn't see why. She was fairly sure that her mother was aware how often she told half-truths and stayed out late doing God knows what. She really had no reason to look at her in that way. Her father, on the other hand, didn't even look at her. Though he appeared to be on the verge of saying something for the past ten minutes now, he sat with his glass of whiskey and kept his eyes glued to random objects.

"These," he said finally breaking the silence, "notes you've been getting. Do you have them?"

"No. We gave them to the detectives last night."

"_We_. That's you and…?"

"Me and the other girls. Claire, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen."

"And these young men whose names keep coming up… what do they have to do with all this?"

"They were at Skye's party with us. We're all friends." Massie answered coolly, but she made the mistake of breaking eye contact.

"Friends." He repeated.

She almost snapped at him, but bit back at the last second. It was best to keep herself in line where her father was concerned. "Friends. And…"

"And?" He prodded.

"Derrick Harrington is my boyfriend."

William Block rose an eyebrow at this news and crossed his left leg over the other. Instead of making him look feminine, it only made him look aristocratic. Intimidating even. She bit her lip and maintained eye contact.

"Your boyfriend. I wasn't aware that you had one. Since when?"

"Since," she sighed, "yesterday actually."

He took another sip of whiskey. She wondered briefly if his cool demeanor was an act. He was drinking unusually early in the day.

Kendra decided to take over. "When were you planning on telling your father and I about this sudden relationship?"

"It wasn't sudden."

"No? So you'd been seeing each other for a while now." She said accusingly.

"Well no. But our relationship didn't come out of nowhere. Like I said, it wasn't sudden."

"And why is that?" Her mother looked almost exactly like Massie when she was fishing for info.

"Because Derrick and I… we were together before."

"When?"

"7th and 8th grade."

Her mother giggled meanly. "Holding hands at thirteen is hardly a relationship."

_Well good thing we did way more than hold hands up in his bedroom, huh mom? _She thought snidely. Her father, ever the mind reader, seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

"Well, Kendra, I was a thirteen year old boy once," Another sip. "And things are much more different for kids today. We can't be sure of anything." Massie almost shuddered at the unusual tone of his voice.

"So yeah," she said trying to divert his attention away from any potentially mortifying thoughts. "We went out for two years. And recently, we became close again. I'd really like for you to meet him. I know, uh, he really can't wait to meet you guys." She smiled hoping it didn't come off looking like a grimace.

The idea of Derrick, with his nonchalance about life and goofy charm, talking to her father, the man who had taught Massie how to master the blank stare that got LBRs to shudder and avert their eyes to her feet made her inwardly wince.

"Your father and I would love that." She shot William a look before he could say anything.

Massie turned her attention to her father, whom she suddenly realized looked very tired. She had a feeling that he had stayed up all night, maybe worrying about her. "I don't exactly know what to do with you now. The law enforcement is involved so we're just going to have to wait and see what they want before we make any decisions. But until then, you do _not_ leave this house without permission."

"Daddy, I can't just-"

"Oh, you can. And you will. You've been given a lot freedom and maybe I'm at fault for not noticing it until now when you're in danger, but I refuse to let things go on like this any longer." He spoke softly, which somehow managed to be worse than shouting.

"You have a whole life that we are not part of, Massie. That should never, _ever_ be the case. When detectives are asking me questions about you and I can't for the life of me answer any of them then something needs to change. Here you are telling me things that I couldn't have imagined knowing before. You're going places that I don't know about, doing things that I don't know about with people I don't know about. And there are _boys_ in the mix. Harrington. I know his father… good man… but if there's anything I learned from my father it's to never judge a man by the one who raised him. Now what am I supposed to think when you're only telling me about him now that you're forced to? There is a lot we need to talk about. A lot I need to know."

There was something in his face and tone of voice that made a thought pass in Massie's head.

"Are you trying to ask me if I'm sexually active?" Massie bit back a smile when she noticed that her father was actually starting to look a little flustered. Something about watching her parents stop their busy lives and try to jump into the role of normal parents made her happy. They looked adorable. And uncomfortable. Adorably Uncomfortable.

"Are you?" Her mother cut in. The question rushed out of her mouth in one quick breath.

"No. No I'm not."

Their relief was so obvious that she couldn't resist and outwardly grinned.

"Now," Her father said sitting up straighter. "For the other limitations being set on this household until further notice-"

"Can I say something first," She asked, her face was serious again. "Before you lock me away in the dungeon?" She said attempting a joke. Unsurprisingly, it fell flat.

He nodded letting her know to go on.

"I'm sorry… that I let things get so out of hand and that I kept you in the dark. But believe me when I say that **nobody** is more surprised that this is happening to me than me." She laughed humorlessly, but looked at them. Her amber eyes were blazing, but not from tears. More from desperation. They needed to understand and she could tell by their faces right now that they didn't understand at all.

She continued. "But it just came out of nowhere. And I know that adults always seem to forget how hard high school is. I'm under a lot of pressure. I didn't know what to do and my friends were looking to me for answers that I couldn't give. I did what I thought was best at the time to keep them out of harm's way. Was it the smartest thing to do? Probably not. But it worked. In between trying to maintain a somewhat normal life and keeping my sanity I've been trying to figure out how we fit into this and what this 'Sam' guy is trying to punish us for. And to top it all off, I now have these cops asking me** more **questions that I don't know how to answer! I know that they think I'm hiding something. You do too. I can practically smell the distrust on your clothes. So all I'm asking for is a little bit of trust, a little bit of space to figure some things out, and whole lot of understanding from you."

She managed to say that in two large breaths, but when they didn't say anything, she wondered if she had spoken too fast. Maybe they hadn't heard her. She waited for several moments when her mom spoke again.

"Okay." Her mother shut her amber eyes and covered her face with a weary hand. "We'll discuss this later. But for now, Massie, just _go to your room_."

"Yes." She said obediently. She hurried upstairs and ignored the scandalized looks of the housekeepers who no doubt had overheard the predicament the young Miss Block had gotten herself involved in.

Inside the sanctuary of her room, she speed dialed the one person she wanted to be with most. She closed her eyes when she heard the tell tale sounds of his voicemail. Glad to hear his voice, she listened to his callback message.

She heard the hoots and guffaws of the other boys in the background.

'**Hey you've reached me. Derrick. Derrick Harrington. Derrick Logan Harrington. Derrick Logan Harrington the First.'** She rolled her eyes but smiled at his antics. **'If you're listening to this than I'm either busy, asleep, ignoring you, or grounded. Pick whatever one makes you feel least disappointed at not getting a hold of my badassness and leave a message after the beep. BEEP!'**

Randomly, she decided to leave a message.

"Hey Derrick Logan Harrington the First, it's your girlfriend Massie Elizabeth Block. Ever think of dropping out of Douchebag Academy and joining the real world?" She smiled. "I just wanted to call and say sorry for not answering when you tried reaching me. I was fast asleep by then. I'm guessing you've figured out that me and the girls told the cops everything. You're probably in trouble cause I sure as hell am. But my parents know about you now so I hope you're ready for the William Block inquisition. Anyway, I wanted to know how you're doing, but according to your message, you could be busy or grounded or just plan ol' ignoring me. But it's whatever, I guess. I love you, okay? Call me back when you can."

Ten minutes later when she was getting ready to take a warm bubble bath, she got a text.

From: Derrick.

'Just listened 2 ur mssg. It feels good to hear u apologize, Block. Even just 4 not answering the phone' ~DH

She responded quickly as she got into the tub.

'Thats cuz 99% of the time I'm right and theres usually nothing 2 b sorry 4'

He responded just as hastily.

'Oh theres plenty to be sorry 4. I guess I'm just special. Worthy' ~DH

'Of course ur worthy. Theres a reason y I made u my dumb blonde arm candy.'

'funny girl. Its the Cartier watch on my left wrist. $$$ makes u fall out of ur clothes.'~DH

She laughed imagining Derrick say that to her face.

'Ur money makes me fall out of my clothes? R u trying 2 sound like a sexist gangsta rapper? cause its working u JERK. Call me. I hate txting in the bathtub.'

'Cant call. Txt only. Grounded. Ur in the bathtub?'~DH

'Fine. Txtings okay. And yes. I needed a bubble bath. Being locked in cramped dorms unable 2 shower wasn't fun.'

'But u guys had a big room. Bigger than every1 else's. I bet I can guess how u did that. Spoiled little rich girl.'~DH

'Who cares? It still sucked. And how did u know we had a bigger room?'

'Dylan told me. R u still in the tub?'~DH

'Yes. Yes I am. Why does this concern u?'

'Ur a smart girl. Figure it out.'~DH

When she read his reply, she snorted.

'Nice try. But Massie Block is no sexter.'

'No 1 will ever see it. I'll delete it after u send it 2 me.'~DH

'Very funny Derrick. I said no. Go borrow 1 of ur moms lingerie catalogs, perv.'

'PLEASE. :[ I'm all alone.'~DH

"EWWW. Not helping ur case.'

"I probably won't see u for a couple of days. Give me something 2 remember u by.' ~DH

Rolling her eyes, Massie grabbed a small white hand towel and lifted slightly out the tub, covering her upper half. Tossing her partially wet hair sexily, she looked into the camera stuck up the middle finger and snapped the shot. She looked at the photo. She was glad with the turnout. Only her neck and up was visible and while she did look hot, there was nothing raunchy about it and the middle finger was the best part of the photo. It accurately depicted her annoyance. That was the closest form of a sexy photo she was ever going to give him.

She sent it.

'Happy now, creep?'

She waited for a reply, but about a minute later her phone was buzzing. It was an unfamiliar number. Hesitantly, she answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, scared to find out who it was that got her number.

"Hey, Block." The sound of her Derrington's voice instantly calmed her down. "Sorry I didn't call. I've been surrounded by all the women in my family, all of whom are yelling at me like no tomorrow for not telling them what's been going on. Too many females and none of them are the one I want to see. I kind of miss your face."

"It's only been a few hours." She said though she, too, felt like she hadn't seen him in days. "And wait I thought you couldn't call. Was that just a ploy to get me to send u a picture?"

"Wait. What? Which picture?" He asked.

"So you deleted it already? Good boy." She said as if she were talking to a dog.

"Block, what are you talking about?"

She heard the serious tone in her voice and suddenly the warm bathwater felt like ice. It hit her.

"Derrick…" she said slowly, her heart pounding, "why aren't you calling me from your cell?"

"Oh, that reminds me. I lost it. It's been missing since the last time I called you this morning. Dude, I'm _**so**_ pissed."

She was silent for a moment.

"Derrick," she whispered, "someone's been texting me from your number for the past 10 minutes."

"What?" He asked his voice turning instantly serious. "Baby, what's going on?"

Feeling lightheaded, Massie dropped the phone to the floor. She looked at it and listened as Derrick's voice rumbled loudly through the receiver calling her name. She watched as it lit up and her call was intercepted by a text.

From Derrick's cell number, came a simple message.

From Derrick:

[:


	16. Chapter 16

***I don't own the Clique or anything else recognizable.***

**Okay so I lied. That was 72 hours. Not 48. But editing takes time. Thanks for the reviews. Keep reading. It gets better. Hurricane Irene is coming tomorrow, so I'm kind of freaked. If there's anything I'll save in the storm, it'll be this laptop. Hopefully Jersey will be safe. Lol XOXOXOXOXOXO.**

Chapter 16

The next morning, after quickly showering and getting into casual clothing, Massie sat in her room. Yesterday, she had told Derrick that she would call him back without further explanation and shut off her phone for the rest of the day. He was probably annoyed that she hadn't explained, but honestly, she didn't know how to tell him what she had done.

She needed silence. Whenever she had things to figure out, she would shut herself in her room with Bean and reassess everything. She needed to think before she could even speak to anyone.

Someone had been texting her. It didn't necessarily have to be Sam the psycho, though right? It could very well be some pervert/kleptomaniac. Which surprisingly was a whole lot more comforting.

"Who would do that?" She wondered out loud.

Her mind shifted over to the cause of her distress.

The picture. She assured herself that it wasn't that bad if this person decided to release it to the public. It wasn't an actual nude photo. Her bare shoulders were barely visible; though they were, however, visible enough to make it obvious that she hadn't been wearing at least, anything on top, when she took it. The middle finger was less than classy, but nothing that couldn't easily be forgotten over time. Things were easily forgotten at Denwood-Ames. Like the number of Olivia's cosmetic "procedures" and the time Kristy Zetser burned down her father's pool house.

But what if this wasn't about blackmail? What if it was a sexual thing? She shuddered at imagining some Creep McLoserStein taking care of business to a personally sent photo of her.

But no. Looking back, this person seemed to be out to get her. With everything they said to the horrid little smile they sent her after receiving the picture.

Spoiled little rich girl. That's what anonymous had called her. Everything the person had said could be read two ways. She had assumed that Derrick was teasing her. But this person's words were malicious. She felt so stupid.

_**Oh theres plenty to be sorry 4. I guess I'm just special. Worthy.**_ That now sounded filled with hidden meaning.

_**Its the Cartier watch on my left wrist. $$$ makes u fall out of ur clothes.**_She now noticed how it was worded. Money makes you fall out of your clothes. It was an insult, yes, but a bitter one at that. She had personally wronged this person. Made them feel unworthy somehow. Then again, that could be anyone. And they obviously new Derrick well enough to know what watch he wore.

And finally the other things that should have set her off.

The fact that this person knew that she and the PC got bigger rooms. She had accepted the Dylan explanation, but now that she thought about it, when would Dylan have had time to speak to Derrick when she hadn't even been able to? And the insistence on sending the picture. It didn't seem that unusual for Derrick to ask for that. He was a teenage boy after all, but why would Derrick persist after she had made it so clear that it made her uncomfortable?

She knew her boyfriend. How could she not notice everything that was wrong about that conversation?

She was sure it was Sam. How else would they know about the room she got at the community college? Just then, she felt angry and ashamed. But mostly violated. Why wouldn't he leave them alone? What did he want? Why all the riddles and games? Why didn't he just kill her? She felt her heart in her throat. He was enjoying it. The psychological torment. Knowing that she and her friends were looking over their shoulders every 10 seconds whenever they were alone.

The intercom in her room snapped her out of her inner turmoil.

"Massie? Are you awake? I know you're tired, honey, but your father and I would like to talk to you. Come downstairs."

She stood up and went over to the box-like machine on her wall. Holding down a button, she responded.

"Yeah. I'm awake. I'll be down in a minute."

Massie slid on her Stella McCartney snakeskin boots, grabbed her phone and left the tranquility of her room. She had a slight idea about what they were going to want to talk about and she had every intention of letting them know what she had unknowingly done yesterday. And while she would rather wear Keds for the rest of her life rather than have this conversation with her parents, a lot was at stake. She was nervous, but anxious at the same time. Now that they knew, filling them in on the growing number of threats being thrown at her could take away from her chronic headache. If anyone would know what to do under pressure, it would be her father.

"Mom? Dad?" She called, now on the base level of the house.

"In here." Kendra's voice rang through the door of the dining room.

"Hey." She said, seeing them sitting down with two cups of coffee by each of them. The maids were cleaning up breakfast. She wanted to raise an eyebrow at the fact that nobody had bothered to call her down to eat, but it didn't matter. Food was the farthest thing from her mind.

As if reading her mind, her mother turned to one of the maids.

"Minerva, could you go prepare a toasted croissant with butter and some fresh fruit for Massie? She hasn't eaten yet and my girl's starting to look a bit thin."

Massie smiled at the irony of her mother's concern. She was one to talk. Massie and her mother happened to wear the same size everything, bra and all. She _**rarely**_ ever saw Kendra eat anything besides breakfast and the only time she could recall her mother's body looking even a bit rounded was in photos when she had been pregnant with Massie herself.

She leaned in and gave them both polite kisses on the cheek and sat down across from them, waiting for them to start.

"As you know, school is cancelled for today, but we wanted to discuss what'll happen after today regarding you leaving this house." Her father folded his large hands on the table and leaned in as he spoke,

"Your mother and I know that you have a social life and that it's going to be near impossible to keep you here under private tutoring until this man is found. So. I'm just going to lay down two rules and you are going to listen and we'll talk things out afterward. Now… Number one: Curfew has been moved to 7:00 PM. It is wintertime and by then, it is fairly dark outside. We do not want you out with your friends any later than that. If they wish to sleep over here, it is perfectly fine, but they must call their parents. Number two: During those hours you are out, Isaac must be with you at all times to pick you up and drop you off wherever you want to go. You may not get a ride from anyone else. Non-negotiable."

Massie sighed out of relief. "That's it?"

"That's it." Her mother said. "Now is there anything you want to say?"

Massie had a lot of things she wanted to say, but for some reason the bachelor's auction was what came to mind first.

"Um, yeah… Well you guys know that the girls and I have been planning the auction for the boy's soccer team and we've worked so hard on it. _Please _don't make us cancel. I think it'll interfere with my curfew, but parents are coming and you're both _toad_-ally welcome. So would you guys please come so I could go?" She pleaded.

"Sure, honey. Sounds fun." Kendra's eyes lit up at her daughter genuinely. She was so proud that her little girl was taking up to be the Westchester socialite that her mother was, planning events and such.

William shrugged noncommittally, but Massie was sure that her mother would drag him there. She watched her mother's face as she began planning what to wear and smiled, momentarily forgetting her Sam situation. Momentarily.

"Now about the detectives," Her father continued, effectively wiping the smile off her face, "they've been calling non-stop since last night. They would like to talk to you. We're going down to the station again in a bit. For now, I have to make a few phone calls. Cancel a few meetings. Then we can go. Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Massie watched his face. She had always thought, even as a child, that she had one of the most handsome fathers in the world. If he had ever lost his company than he could surely be a movie star. His sky blue eyes and salt and peppered hair only added to the quiet beauty that put him in rank with guys like Gregory Peck and George Clooney. Sadly, except for the shape of her lips and her smile, she looked nothing like him. Her mother was gorgeous, no doubt, and she was to thank for Massie's trademark "cat-like eyes", but part of her always wanted her father's eyes, so clear that you felt that you were looking into his soul. The conviction in them, she believed, was what made him so good at his job. He was a smooth-talking professional bullshitter. Just like her.

She observed him now. She looked at the red rings around his eyes and the frown lines that were etching their way into his forehead. He was still good-looking, as men only grew more distinguished with age, but she felt a tinge of guilt that she took some part in the stress he must be feeling. Could she tell him now? That she had sent a compromising photo to her stalker? His baby girl?

"No, not right now. We'll talk about everything later."

"Good. I'll see you both later then," He replied standing up and kissing her mother's forehead just as food was set in front of her before heading to his office.

As she started eating, her mother's cell buzzed on the table. She stalked off quickly rambling on about the price of a hot tub rental for reasons unknown and Massie was once again, left alone. 

''

Claire flinched as Moakley loudly slapped another stack of papers onto the table in front of her and the PC. Sitting in chairs near the door observing this silently, were their parents and three lawyers, one of whom was Len Rivera.

Finally, he and Falk, after coming in and out the room several times, sat themselves down across from them. Falk pulled out a couple of pens from inside her jacket pocket and set them on the table while he took out a tape recorder.

"Signing these will state that you are allowing everything you say to be on record." He told them in a monotone professional voice.

The girls looked to their parents and lawyers, who only nodded their heads, telling them to do so. After each of them signed, Moakley collected all of the contracts and slid them into a black manila folder. Shutting it, he clicked the recorder on and looked at them

"I'd just like to say that now that you are on record, you are obligated to tell the truth. Let's start with a clean slate. Whaddya say girls?" He asked.

Neither of them answered.

"Where are the boys?" Dylan asked tentatively.

"Outside. They will be questioned separately. Stories tend to get mixed up when too many of you are in here at once." He said dryly.

"Fair enough." The red head answered.

"Okay, let's get to it. Had any of you met Regina Stein prior to her death?"

"No." They all answered immediately.

"Had any of you met JuliaBircher prior to her death?"

"Yes." They all more or less answered, with less ease this time.

"Miss Gregory, when was that?" He asked looking at her directly.

Kristen stiffened at being addressed separately. "She introduced herself as a room advisor at the Community College and showed us to our room. We really didn't know her that well actually. Nice girl though."

"That's interesting," Falk asked reading something off a paper, "Because it seems that you and another room of girls were put on a separate floor from everyone else. Julie kept you guys on the room advisor floor with better accommodations. Seems like a nice thing to do for girls she didn't really know." She rose an eyebrow at her unasked question and awaited an answer.

"She only did that because I offered to let her do a free hair consultation with Jakkob, my personal hair stylist." Massie answered.

"Your personal hair stylist?" Falk looked at her oddly. "You mean… like a bribe?"

"No." Alicia defended. "Julie complemented Mass's hair, saying she liked the color and everything. So Massie offered her the consultation. The girl showed us to our room afterward. She was just returning the favor. It wasn't a bribe."

"I'm_ sure_ she did." Moakley said, trying to remain professional and failing. "It only makes sense that Miss Block offered to help her out of the _goodness of her heart_."

The girls bristle d at his tone. For a short time, they actually thought the man was starting to soften towards them.

"I'm sorry," Claire hissed, shocking the PC with the iciness of her tone. "Is that a crime now? Is helping someone out a crime? Y'know not everything that happens in Westchester involves money. Common decency exists here. And even if it didn't, is she going to jail for offering a girl a hair consultation in exchange for a nicer room? I'd like to see how that held up in court." She snorted flipping her white blonde hair behind her shoulder.

Massie had never felt more proud of her than she had right then. Sweet as pie Claire was no more. She itched to turn around and watch the Lyons' reaction to the monster Massie had created out of their daughter.

Moakley frowned and opened his mouth to say something when Len Rivera spoke.

"Detective, the young lady is right. Move on please." He said all business.

Grinding his teeth together, Moakley let Falk ask the next question.

"Did any of you see anyone suspicious during your stay at the dorms?"

They each answered a negative response, but Massie decided to let everyone in the room know what she had found out.

"I was speaking to a few girls from Abner Double Day when I found out something you might find interesting." She spoke nonchalantly and gazed at her manicure while she spoke.

She was aware of everyone's eyes on her, but she was only interested in Moakley's reaction. She wanted to humble him a little bit. Make him realize that she was the one doing him favors and therefore he had best stayed on her good side.

"And?" He pressed, noticeably more attentive now.

"And I wanted to confide in you without any disdainful comments on your part, if that's all right with you?"

Knowing that that wasn't what he was asking, but smiling inside when he shot her parents a 'This-is-what-you-raised?' look, Massie somehow knew that at that moment her father was smirking. After all, he had been the one to teach her about demanding respect.

"Miss Block, I will keep my end of the deal if you keep yours. Tell me what you know." He told her. Her eyes watched his hands which were clasped together so tight that they held no color.

"Sure thing, boss." She sighed and laid her palms on the table pulling forward to look at both detectives head on. "Well, these girls that I were speaking to… they told me that they were all at Skye's party and had spoken to Regina briefly that night. One of them said Regina had told her that she met a guy."

Falk leaned in closer also and looked at her. "Do you think that he has anything to do with this?"

"I know so. Kristen said something before and she was totally right. All of Regina's friends were accounted for. The only reason she would go back there near the bar area was to have privacy. And _ahbv_-iously she was _nawt_ alone. She was with a guy. And then… well you know."

"Who was this guy?" Moakley asked quickly his eyes flicking around the room. He had a look on his face that made it apparent to everyone that he was thinking a million thoughts at once.

"That's a great question." Massie smiled peculiarly, "He's unidentified. She never introduced him to them. But he's our guy. I just know it. And that's why I need to have a little chat with Lisa Rodriguez and Brooke Henderson. Her best friends. They were the last one's to see her. Something tells me that they're holding out on us. I mean, they never even told you about him. I'm afraid that will just not do. So I plan on heading over to one of their houses with the girls after this little shindig and getting some answers."

"Um, Miss Block," Falk glanced at her and then to somewhere over her shoulder, she guessed her parents, "that is not a good idea. Me and my partner are trained in interrogation. It is not safe, mainly because you don't know who will be watching, and secondly because it is best to keep Sam's identity unknown to you. If he figures out that you're on to him, he may do something drastic."

"No offense," Dylan chuckled, "but you don't know a thing about teenage girls. Look at how badly you went about getting info out of us. You're** too** professional, **too** obvious, and **not enough **vindictive. Now this is the first time I'm hearing about this Brooke and Lisa business, but I can already tell you one thing. You two aren't going to get a peep out of them. This sort of… _interrogation_ is more our area of expertise. I promise you."

"Miss Marvil," Detective Falk cut in before Moakley could make a scathing comment, "by law, we are in no way to permit or encourage this. Do you understand that? This is not simply some gossip you need to milk out of them. Are you getting what I'm saying? This is a murder case."

"I am aware of that." Dylan blinked at her as if she were stupid, "But this is Westchester. This is our town. We know the system. And you wouldn't believe the things girls like Brooke and Lisa would be willing to give up in exchange for some things. It worked with Skye and the Torch, remember? It'll work now. I understand that you are not allowed to permit or encourage anything, so I'm not asking. I'm telling you that we are going to visit our new friends Brooke and Lisa in a little while and that while we are there, the matter of Skye's party might come up. We also might happen to come upon some much needed information in the process. Are you getting what I'm saying?" She stared back at the detectives with not even a trace of fear in her eyes.

Falk looked torn.

Moakley looked pissed. But that wasn't out of the ordinary.

Both detectives knew what she was saying and they were tempted. These girls could easily get information during one conversation that it would take them several tries to obtain.

Falk turned off the tape recorder.

"We'll send a car to watch the house."

"What?" Moakley roared looking at his partner. "You're seriously considering this? You're seriously sending teenage girls to give an interrogation?"

"Well you didn't seem so opposed in using them before." She argued.

"Excuse me." One of the forgotten attorneys behind them stood up. "We believe that this c-"

"Great." Kristen said cheerily. "Give us a half hour."

"Kristen!" Mrs. Gregory also stood up and looked at her daughter.

Massie, who had not yet spoken, thought best to do so now. She looked around the room at everyone.

"We can do it. No problem."

"Massie, dear," her mother said suddenly, "I know you can do it, but that doesn't mean you should."

"Daddy?" Massie looked at her father who looked as always, impassive. Never letting anyone in on his thoughts, "You know I can do it. I'm smart. You've always said so. My girls are just as smart, if not smarter than me,"

Massie had never outwardly admitted that the girls could very well be as good of an alpha as she was before. The girls looked astonished, but proud. She had taught them everything she knew and they were fast learners. Even Claire. Massie Block was a natural, but over time, with practice, the girls had become her equals.

"I know you know what I do at school. You're not as oblivious as you pretend to be. I make things happen in this town, daddy. Just like you. You see it now. I can tell. The way I talk, the way I act. All of you," She looked at the other parents, "it's about time you learned. Think about it. Why was Cooper Cosgrove so quick to drop out of the mayor's race last year after he was ahead by 4 percent? Why couldn't Abner Double Day buy those 2 acres of land by County Park to make a new practice field down the street from ours? Why did Signora Ilaria decide to move her incense shop from Park Ave. to Sunrise Blvd to make room for the new Kate Spade store? There are reasons. You're looking at them."

The adults of the room were still as statues as they absorbed what Massie had just told them.

"Are you telling me my daughter was part of a scheme that involved forcing Cooper Cosgrove to drop out of a political race?" Judi Lyons asked disbelievingly.

Claire shrugged. "He wanted to put out an 11:00 curfew for minors. It was widely unpopular."

"I don't like this. Claire, what are you involving yourself in?" Jay Lyons asked angrily.

"Relax, dad. He can never trace the pictures back to us." She sighed. She really had changed since the 7th grade when she had first moved to Westchester. She had lost a large amount of her innocence and naivety. Surprisingly, it felt like a good thing.

"Pictures? What pictures?" His eyes bulged out of his head. "Clai-"

"Excuse me." Detective Moakley cut in. "You do realize that you have just admitted in front of us that you bribed a politician."

Dylan raised an eyebrow and smiled dryly. "I'm sorry, what? She said no such thing. Besides, Cooper Anderson now lives in… Where was it, Leesh?"

"Thousand Oaks, California." Alicia recited from memory, "With his two daughters, Ashley and Maureen, his cocker spaniel, Butter, and his wife Jennifer."

"…Thousand Oaks, California." Dylan continued without pause. "He has long forgotten his ordeal here in Westchester, New York and I'm quite sure he will not agree to relive any part of it with you if there was any chance his wife were to find out what we know. I seem to remember that he liked being discreet."

Moakley and Falk's jaws dropped. The former's face was as red as a tomato.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at Dylan. "Listen here, little girl. That is a serious threat y-"

"But you would know about being discreet with wives, _wouldn't you_, Detective Moakley?" Massie said breezily as she noticed several chips in the paint job on her nails. She frowned. She had not been taking good care of herself, what with all the hubbub about Sam. Oh yeah. This guy had to go down.

Merri-Lee Marvil, ever the journalist, looked torn between being appalled and impressed. The rest of the parents were still frozen in shock. William Block still looked impassive.

This time, it was Detective Falk who broke in. "That is quite enough." She said tersely. "Please. Girls. I need you to cooperate. This interrogation is not over. We have more questions to ask you."

The PC immediately did as she asked. They had no problems with the woman and they automatically felt bad for bringing her affair with her partner into the mix.

"Okay." Kristen said. "Go on."

Acting like the past few minutes hadn't happened, they answered all the woman's questions and ignored the man completely. She asked all the obvious things, details about when they got the poems and their meanings. The last one, the one Sam had written on the wall was a warped quote from Little Red Riding Hood.

"None of it makes sense, I know." Massie told her. "This is a game to him. I don't think he even wants to physically hurt us. At least not yet. This is all mental. He's screwing with our heads. Trying to get us flustered mostly."

"You don't know that." Moakley said dully.

"Yes." Kristen said, "We do. Because if we were him, that is exactly what we would do. You mess with someone… slap them around a bit… even put a gun to their head with your finger on the trigger and there is no denying that they will be scared beyond measure. But mess with someone's mind… their sanity… for a long enough time… and they'll eventually try to pull the trigger themselves."

"You're," Detective Falk paused, unsure if she should say what she wanted to, "….you're very… _smart_. At least one of you should consider becoming a cop." She sent them a small smile.

"No thank you. All that running would scuff my Jimmy Choo's." Alicia joked, gracing the woman with a warm smile. She was surprised to hear her mother laugh behind her.

''  
After the interrogation came to an end and they were all leaving the room, they bumped into the boys and their parents in the lobby. The PC stopped and looked at Massie. Massie knew what they were thinking. Unexpectedly, this was extremely awkward. Their parents looked at them all waiting for a reaction, which made it even more awkward. This had not been how any of them wanted their parents to be introduced to their "significant others".

Was Massie supposed to kiss her boyfriend as her father stood there staring at her and Derrick's mother was openly assessing her from head to toe?

Kemp, who usually started conversation, with a perverted and/or flirtatious comment, took a step closer to Kristen, but thought better of doing anything when he saw her father's broad hand resting on her shoulder.

All of this thinking happened in a matter of 30 seconds. Finally, Lyla Fisher, Cam's mother smiled politely. "Hello."

"Hello," The PC and their parents greeted. Snapping out of the tension, a lot of hand shaking between the adults ensued.

"How was the questioning?" Arturo Hotz asked without preamble.

"Insightful." William Block said dryly, earning a chuckle from the other girls' fathers.

"I don't even want to know." Pete Plovert, who looked like an older, balder version of Chris, sighed shooting a glance towards his son. "Parental obligation and all. You kids really know how to make life more difficult than it needs to be."

"Yes well…" His wife, Rebecca, said with resignation. She hoped her husband could refrain from giving their son another lecture in public.

As their parents spoke, the teens just stared at each other. Derrick wanted badly to just pull Massie aside and talk about what had happened last night, but he knew he had to wait, so he stood still.

Dylan, having given up on waiting, stepped forward and put her arms around Chris pulling him into a hug.

"Hey babe," He murmured in her long hair as he hugged her back.

"Hey." She whispered back, trying to ignore the watching eyes of all the parents.

Cam reached forward and linked a few of his fingers with Claire. She smiled back at him brightly, her pink gums and white teeth open for everyone to see.

"Since no one else seems to be jumping to, I guess I'll make the introductions for everyone." Claire said, "Mom? Dad? Other moms and dads? This is Cam Fisher. These are his friends, Josh Hotz, Kemp Hurley, Derrick Harrington, and Chris Plovert." She looked at the PC's parents as she pointed each of them out,

"And I am Claire Lyons. These are my friends Dylan Marvil, Massie Block, Kristen Gregory, and Alicia Rivera." She directed this to the boys' parents.

Kemp sent Kristen a wink and one of his rarely seen genuine smiles, not missing the way her parents narrowed their eyes at him. He was an exemplary model of the guy one did not want their daughter to be dating, but she didn't care. She'd do anything for him to smile at her that way again.

Josh leaned in and brushed a chaste kiss on Alicia's right cheek before stepping back respectfully.

Derrick did and said nothing. But then again neither did Massie. The PC sent her questioning looks wondering if they had gotten into a fight. Everyone had noticed that the two did nothing to acknowledge the other, but stare. Massie knew Derrick wasn't angry with her, only curious to find out what had happened last night with whoever had been texting her from his phone. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him. Especially nawt with all these people around.

"We're going to start in a bit. Are you all here?" Detective Falk called from the doorway of the interrogation room.

"Yes." Lana Harrington answered. She said to the group, "Well we should probably be heading inside."

Everyone started to go where they were needed. The girls and their parents headed out of the police station and the boys and their parents headed towards the room where they were to be questioned.

Hearing her father's voice, Massie turned to see that he had stopped Derrick.

William Block held out his hand, "I understand you and my daughter are seeing each other."

Derrick shook it, "Yes, sir."

"I look forward to getting to know you."

"Likewise." Derrick said. She watched him steadily hold her father's gaze. He was doing good. Her father put a lot of stock in his opinion of someone by their ability to look him in the eye. It was where she had learned it from.

"Everything's alright with you two I hope?" He asked loaded with meaning. He had definitely seen the weirdness between them and was trying to understand it.

"Definitely. Massie and I, we're a complicated set, but we'll be alright." Like he knew she had been watching the whole time, his eyes locked with hers. For reasons unknown to her, she blushed. That earned her a grin from him. She fought to keep her face unchanged, but he caught the slight upward twist on the corners of her mouth. She turned and left the police station.

''

It took all of five minutes for Alicia to make a phone call and get Brooke Henderson's address.

The PC arrived at the girl's house an hour later. It would've been much quicker had their parents not insisted on laying down two rules. One: That they were all to arrive and leave with Isaac as soon as they found out what they needed and Two: That if there was any sign that trouble was coming, they would leave immediately.

Ringing the bell, they waited semi-patiently for someone to come to the door. The snow was still at an uncomfortably high level and their designer boots were suffering.

The door was opened relatively quickly by a guy who looked maybe a couple years older than them. He had his dark hair shaved into a buzz cut and blue eyes that held a pompous expression. He was slow to lean against the doorjamb nonchalantly and looked at them without saying anything.

Massie, narrowing her eyes at his rude welcome, was the first to speak.

"Hello. We're here to see Brooke."

A few more seconds passed before he replied. "You are, are you? And who might you be?"

"Her friends." Massie replied curtly.

Again moving unbelievably slowly, he took a step closer and openly gave them each a once over. Distantly, she thought of Harris Fisher who had done the same thing a while back. She wondered what guys like them thought when they looked at her and the girls.

"Do her friends have names?" He rose both eyebrows and smiled when he saw the glares they sent him. He was actually kind of cute, really tall and buff. It was really too bad that he was so clearly a jerk.

Massie told him their names and waited.

He hesitated, like he was waiting for her to tell him that this was a joke and run off giggling. Then he said, "Come inside."

The girls, noticing that he had made no mention of Brooke yet, felt uneasy, but came inside anyway.

The boy walked easily, but noticeably rigid also, not even turning around to see if they had closed the door or if they were following him. Finally, they found themselves in the living room. The TV was on, but it had been put on mute. He had been watching the Sopranos.

"So, Massie Block and Company, why do you need to see my sister?" He asked sitting on the couch, not even offering them to join him.

"I didn't tell you my last name." She pointed out.

He chuckled. "You didn't need to. I know who all of you are."

Massie, coming in blank for a retort, was thankful when Kristen stepped in.

"Well shouldn't you give us the pleasure of returning the acquaintance then?" As she continued to stare at the boy, the dirty blonde lifted her thumb and scratched the side of her nose. That was the PC's signal for 'Hold on. I don't trust this person yet.'

"What do you mean?" The guy asked faking cluelessness.

"What I mean is… do you have a name?" Kristen asked pretending to not have noticed that he was playing with her.

"A.J." He answered easily. "Now are you going to tell me why you're here?"

"A.J. Henderson." Alicia said ignoring him. "Never heard of you. Are you from around here?"

He seemed to be holding back a laugh as if what she said was funny. "Well for starters my name isn't A.J. Henderson. Brooke's my half-sister. My name's A.J. Whitman. And yes I'm from around here. Born and bred in Westchester. But I guess people forget all about you when you're away at boot camp."

"Boot camp?" Dylan perked up. "Are you a _bad boy_, A.J. Whitman?" The mischievousness in her voice was palpable.

This time he did laugh. "I don't know, Dylan Marvil. What do you think?""

"I think that you're the same A.J. Whitman that put Elton Temple in the hospital two years ago after he keyed your motorcycle." She answered.

Massie's eyes grew significantly brighter. "That's **right**, Dyl. I remember now. I wonder if he has that scar on his chest that everyone talked about." She smiled beautifully wondering if it would annoy him to talk about like he wasn't there.

Claire, fully understanding what Massie was doing, continued, "I heard he had eyes like a madman." She leaned down purposefully and looked him in the eyes. "Nope. No madness there."

A.J. was really amused now. He chuckled again. "Well, maybe you're not looking hard enough."

"Yeah." Claire sighed. "Maybe."

"So you know who I am." He stated blandly, the laughter gone from his voice. "And I know who you are. Now the question is what do you want with Brooke?"

"No, sweetie," Massie said talking to him like an insolent five year old, "The question is _**where is she**_."

"Well,_ sweetie_," He said using the same tone, "You have a question. I have an answer. If you want it, you'll have to tell me what I want to know first."

"We have to speak to her about something. Something personal." Kristen answered.

"Hmmmm." He pondered aloud, "I don't think that's good enough."

"Why are you giving us such a hard time?" Alicia asked him.

"Well, Alicia," he replied, "Like I said, I know who you are. Everyone's heard of you. Just like me, your name precedes you. And I haven't heard good things either. I hear what you do to girls like my sister. Now, don't get me wrong. You're all more than welcome to take off your shoes, kick back, relax and hang out with me. After all, I just got home after being a way for a _very_ long time and I've been seriously lacking in fine female company. Not to mention, I find you all_ extremely_ alluring. And believe me, if you knew me even a little, you'd know that my interest is very rarely piqued. However, if you truly wish to speak to my sister, you'll have to answer my question."

Kristen rolled her eyes at his explanation. "Relax. I know what you've heard, but we're not here to destroy your sister. She will be left unharmed. However, she may have information concerning someone we _do_ want to destroy."

"Well that's comforting." He said dryly taking a sip of the cappuccino he had resting on the table in front of him. "What did this person do? Steal your prom date?"

That comment annoyed Massie. She didn't want to have to answer to him, but she did.

"No. Something much, _much_ worse."

"I don' think now is a good time. My sister's kind of going through something right now. She lost one of her best fri-"

"We know." Massie cut in. "Somebody killed Regina Stein. And two nights ago, that same somebody killed Julie Bircher. And that's what we mean by much worse. That's a long way from stealing a prom date, don't you think?"

A.J. paused while he went over what she just said. "Wait… Did you just imply that you and your friends are out to destroy the guy who has been murdering girls around town? And that you think my sister knows something about it?"

"She didn't imply," Alicia reminded him, "she told you. And yes. There's a chance Brooke knows something. She was close to Regina and there's still one unanswered question about that night. We're just here to see if she can tell us what we want to know."

He stared at them dumbly. "You guys are crazy. I mean I had heard things… but this is just…. You're _psychotic_. What makes you think Brooke knows anything and why do you need to know? You shouldn't be snooping about this." He set his cappuccino back down and waited for an answer.

"Uh yeah, A.J. we **should**." Dylan hissed. "This is not a joke. And this is not gossip we're going to be spreading. In fact, after we finish talking to your sister, forget that we were even here. We have a bone to pick with S-…. _Him _and we need to do this so that we can find out who he is."

"I'm serious." He said standing up and towering over them. "Stay out of it. If word gets out in town that you're looking into this he might hurt you girls. And I don't want to be responsible. I think you should leave." For the first time since they'd been there, he wasn't joking around with them.

"Well you will be responsible," Massie shouted, "because any day now, he's going to come after one of us anyway!"

He was silent.

The girls whipped their heads to look at Massie with a warning look.

"I have to tell him. We need her." Massie told them.

"Tell me what?" A.J. said the curiosity in his voice easily detected.

"Well." She said much softer. "Nobody knows about this yet, but he has been after us for some time now. We know why he's been killing these girls and we need to stop him. Your sister knows something. I feel bad about having to bring that night up with her. Really, I do. I get that this is a really hard time for her. But we need her to tell us what we need to know before he goes after another girl. And I'm not overreacting when I say that this is a life or death situation."

He still remained silent, but he looked baffled.

"Listen," Claire whispered. "You cannot tell anybody about this."

"Yes." Massie agreed. "Let's just say you're special and you're the only one who even knows that we're involved. Can we have your word?"

He nodded.

"Good." Massie said, visibly calmer now. "And if you don't keep good on your word, I will come back here and make sure that you leave Westchester. And for good this time."

He smiled at her snarkiness. "Come on. I'll take you to her." He walked through the kitchen and kept going until they were at a door near what appeared to be the laundry room.

"This is her art studio. She's been in here since, like, 4 AM, so she's probably working on something." He knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" They heard her voice through the door.

"B, some girls are here to see you. You alright?"

"Alright enough. And who? Is Lisa here?"

He looked at them. "Uhhh, no. It's someone else."

It was silent for a moment. Then something crashed to the floor. " Wh- Hold on! I'm coming!"

A couple seconds later, a girl who had eyes the exact same color as A.J.'s but a completely different face appeared. She was dressed in loose, gray sweatpants and a fitted, black turtleneck.

"Uhh. Hi…" She looked at them weirdly. "You guys came to see me?"

"Yeah." Dylan smiled agreeably.

"Well…" She glanced at her brother quickly, and then behind her into the room, "it's a mess in here. We can go to the living room."

"Sure." Kristen said beginning to lead the way. The rubber heel on the Tommy Hilfiger snow boots she wore squeaked on the hardwood floors and the PC followed behind her closely. Behind them, they could hear Brooke whispering furiously to A.J. who responded with 'I don't know', 'Well what did you want me do?', and 'Let them talk to you about it. It's not my place to say.'

In the living room, they stayed standing. Brooke offered them a seat across from her and A.J., but they refused.

"We won't be long." Massie told her. "We don't want to intrude on your art time or anything. You're probably wondering why we're here."

"Honestly? Hell yeah I am." Brooke said without malice.

"So we don't want to upset you," Massie said, actually shocked at how nervous she was feeling, "but we need to know something about what happened the night Regina Stein was killed."

The girl's face dropped. "Seriously? That's none of your busin-"

"Please. Wait. Just hear us out." Claire pleaded.

"No! Why should anything that happened that night concern you?" She said shakily.

"Because the guy who did that to your friend has been threatening us ever since that night and we're going to find him!" Alicia blurted.

Brooke was speechless. Like her brother, she said nothing.

"I know." Claire practically whispered, but it was quiet enough for everyone to hear her. "I know that this sounds crazy. But the guy that killed Regina and Julie has contacted us several times. He wants revenge on us. And so he's killing people. We need to find out who he is before he kills again. It all starts with that night, Brooke. Believe us, if there were _any_ other way to not make you relive that night again, we would do it. But this is the only way. Please. We're telling you the truth."

"Why should I believe you?" The girl asked.

"Because then we would not only be incredibly sadistic by coming here like this, but also incredibly morbid." Massie answered. "And we're not. We just want justice to be served and our lives to be back to normal. I gave all the evidence to the cops but yeah, he's been sending us these creepy notes and poetry and even a picture of us with our faces crossed out. He's told us his name is Sam."

Brooke was quiet as she considered this. "Why haven't the cops mentioned you in the news?"

"Because we'd been keeping those notes a secret until the night of the blizzard when he killed that girl Julie. We told the FBI, even though Sam threatened us to not talk to the cops. He no doubt knows that we have, but now we've got security following us. If you don't believe us still, there's a policeman outside your house right now that's supposed to keep an eye on us."

A.J. got up from the couch and looked out the window.

"They're not lying, Brooke." He said to his sister. "I see the car."

She looked scared all of a sudden. "Revenge for what?"

"What?" Massie asked.

"You said he wanted revenge on you guys. For what?"

Massie didn't know what to say.

"We don't know." Dylan spoke up. "It's hard to say. Over the years, we've done a lot of things that a lot of different people could be angry at us for."

"That's why we need your help." Alicia persisted. "We need to figure out what guy Regina was talking to that night."

That snapped Brooke out of her daze. "What?" She asked visibly alarmed.

"Don't lie to us. Regina met a guy that night. You kept that information from the cops. Why?" Kristen asked.

When she didn't answer, Kristen asked, "Was it because he threatened you not to tell? Do you know who Sam is?"

"Wh- No!" She exclaimed. "It was nothing like that. Regina did meet a guy that night, but I had no idea that he had anything to do with this. I only kept that part a secret because Regina's parents are really strict. They forbid her to date until college. At the time, all I could think was that she wouldn't have wanted me to let them find out that she was seeing guys behind their backs. I tried to be loyal." Her chin wobbled and her eyes were wide. "Oh my God! He's the guy?"

"Who? Who is he?" Massie asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know. I never saw his face. He was in costume. He was dressed as the Riddler. You know the villain from Bat Man?"

"Holy Shit." Dylan whispered.

"What?" Everyone in the room asked at the same time.

"How did I not see it?"

"What, Dylan?" Massie demanded.

Her green eyes were huge as she recalled the memory. "That night…. I was drunk, but I remember. I was at the bar and a guy dressed as the Riddler came up to me… I remember. He said he saw me with my friends and that he liked our costumes. I dismissed him as some loser hitting on me."

"Then there's no way you could've known, Dyl." Claire tried, to keep her calm.

"No. Not that. He was saying that I looked perfect dressed as a devil… But it wasn't what he said, it was the **way** he said it. I wasn't even paying attention. He was looking _right_ at me and he knew that I was drunk and that I wasn't paying attention. He touched my hair and he said… He said… 'I love the color red my dear.'"

The PC froze.

"Oh. My. GAWD!" Kristen yelled.

"What?" A.J. asked. He and Brooke looked confused by their reactions.

Dylan kept talking ignoring his question, "Guys say that they love my hair all the time. It didn't even register in my mind. I slapped his hand away and walked off."

"Why was what he said important?" Brooke asked softly.

"Because," Dylan said in a choked voice, "he sent me a poem the same day he killed Julie. He says that exact line. 'I love the color red my dear.' I was just too stupid to realize it. It's definitely him. Sam is the Riddler."

"That means…" Claire whispered.

"That means that those poems definitely aren't gibberish. He's telling us something." Dylan finished.

"What did he look like, B?" A.J. asked her.

"I told you. I don't know."

"No." He argued. "You said you didn't see his face. Not that you didn't see what he looked like. What color hair did he have? And what about his body structure? Height? Weight?"

"He was tall." Dylan told him. "I remember that it was easy to ignore him because I was zoning in and out staring at his bright green suit. I would have to look up to see his face."

"Yeah." Brooke said. "He was tall. I remember that. He wore a wig under his hat. It was fire engine red. He was relatively thin, but he seemed to have some muscle, at least enough to overpower a girl. Especially one like Regina."

"And Julie." Massie said mournfully.

"That's it, really. I'd be lying if I told you I remembered more." Brooke told them. "This was months ago and a lot happened after that. I saw the guy for about a total of 2 minutes."

"And Lisa? How about her?" Kristen questioned.

"Lisa only saw his back. I told her to give them some privacy. I practically forced her to go talk to him." She said horrified at herself.

"We were all really stupid that night." Claire admitted with wet eyes. "We were in an office behind the bar only a few yards away from her. I heard your friend scream that night, Brooke. I ignored it because it was Halloween and I was stumbling drunk. I could've helped her and I didn't. I didn't do anything." It was clear that the guilt had been eating at her and only now had she voiced it out loud.

"What's important is that we stop it from happening again." Massie deadpanned. Her face was determined. "I don't care how many people I have to talk to. I will scratch people off one by one from Skye's guest list until someone tells me who this guy is."

"That's probably not smart." A.J. told her. "You've already talked to the police and you came here. You've angered him enough."

"I don't care." Massie snapped losing her cool for a second. "I don't care that I'm getting him angry. You know what? Good. He wants to fuck with me and expects me to do nothing? Look at them A.J." She gestured towards her distraught friends and his sister. "This is what he's doing. He's hurting people. And for what? A game? I may do a lot of messed up things, but not one of them justifies what he's doing. Murder. Innocent people. He's sick. Sick in the head. And I intend to find him so that he gets put away. I've looked it up. Unless, he pleads insanity, he'll get life. Hopefully his prison cell will be the size of a linen closet."

"At least let me help you." A.J. said.

"How?" She asked him.

"I'll be in touch."

Massie said nothing for a while. She waited until she was calm again and then finally, "Okay. But we should go. Our parents are waiting."

The PC nodded and politely said their goodbyes, but before they were out the door A.J. spoke again,

"You guys should really come by again. I meant what I said about not minding it if we hung out. Since all that drama two years ago, I don't have many friends in Westchester."

They nodded and left.

When they were trudging back to the car Kristen spoke. "He was nice, in that cute, loner way. We really should see him again."

"He was." Massie agreed. "That's why I'm inviting him to the bachelor's auction."

"Are we putting him up to be bid?" Claire asked.

"No." Massie scoffed. "Much better. Look at him. He's a hot, 18 year old guy with a dark past and a heart of gold…. We're introducing him to Lisette Carlyle."


	17. Chapter 17

***I do not own the Clique or anything else recognizable.***

**Hey, readers. So. It's been a while. :/ I'm actually ashamed at myself.**

**This chapter's pretty long, but not too much happens in it. I think just the right amount does. I admit that I'm prolonging the big moments we've all been waiting for, but I'm the writer so neener neeener neener… A lot of you think Sam's creepy. He is. He's a sick, sick person. And we may have a character death. Or not. Anyway, senior year has officially begun so I'm happy! I hope all of you are having or will have great school years. Anyhowwwww, Enjoy. XOXOXOXOXO**

**P.S. I added a teensy bit of Clam in because of a few requests. I also put a little bit about each separate relationship just so everyone can get a feel for the dynamics of the connection each member of the PC feels with their boyfriend. But actually, most guys are NOT like this. I guarantee you. BOYS SUCK 95% of the time. But then they're cute again. **

Chapter 17

The Pretty Committee slept over at the Block estate that night. Their parents didn't seem too happy with their daughters being away from home for another night, but they made an excuse about Massie needing emotional support after witnessing Julie's death. It was partially true, but really they needed this time to make a plan.

Massie knew that going through Skye's guest list would be pointless even as she pondered the idea. Most of the kids had been blackout drunk on Halloween night and those that hadn't, had blocked that night and all of the badness it brought into town with it out of their minds. She may have been an alpha, but even she couldn't get people to talk about what they didn't want to all the time.

When Massie finally told the girls about the photo, they flipped. She'd expected it. She explained that she and Derrick were acting weird at the station because they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about it.

"Do you still have the picture on your phone?" Alicia asked hesitantly.

She sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "Yeah." She reached for her iPhone and went through her picture messages. When she selected the photo, she cringed again thinking about who else could possibly have access to it. Turning it over to show them, she felt relieved when none of them looked that appalled.

"Okay." Claire said carefully.

"Okay?" Massie moaned. "What could possibly be okay about this? Some freak has a sexy pic of me."

"It's really not that bad." Alicia insisted. "If we're comparing this to the number of scandalous photos that have spread since we've started high school, this is really nothing. It could be worse."

"Yeah, but what is Derrington gonna say, Leesh? I'm so mad at myself!"

"Look," Dylan spoke up, "I know Derrington, Massie. I dated the kid, remember? His reaction won't be that bad. It might sting a little, but most of his anger won't even be at you. I mean if you were in his place, who would you be madder at? Your totally gorgeous, loving, disappointed in herself girlfriend or the guy who stole your phone and goaded said girlfriend into sending him a sexy photo of herself?"

"Point." Alicia said with her finger in the air.

"True. Very true." Kristen agreed.

"Why is this happening to me?" Massie said exasperatedly. "I'm a somewhat good person, right?"

The girls stayed silent and sent each other "looks". Massie gasped.

"Well screw you guys then." She said getting up from her bed where they were all sitting.

The PC giggled. "Awww c'mon, Mass. We're joking. You know we love you to pieces!" Kristen called out.

Dylan stood up and walked to her. "Of **course** you're a good person. You're our loyal, fearless, and caring leader. You have a big heart and the people you keep to dear to it never forget that. I wouldn't change who you are for the world. Shall I keep going and feeding your ego with intensely fluffy words? "

Massie teared up. "You guys…"

"Group hug!" Claire sung out. They collided around Massie and laughed as she held onto them in an intense grip.

"I think I have a girl power CD in my purse. Any second now, I'm going to whip it out so that Ke$ha and Britney Spears can prolong this moment with fast beats and atrocious lyrics. I am not opposed to bringing back our 7th grade dance parties." Dylan said.

"Ehmagawd, remember when we used to have dance parties?" Alicia asked nostalgically. "Those were the days…"

Claire snorted. "Aren't you guys forgetting something? I seem to remember them always getting ruined by one of us getting pissed off about gossip or whining because of our stupid boyfriends. Why couldn't we have been like this from the beginning?"

"Yeah. Why couldn't you?" A male voice said out of nowhere.

The girls sprung apart screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Josh rushed to them. "Hey! Shhh! Calm down!"

They turned to see Josh and the rest of the boys standing on the other end of Massie's bedroom.

"How the_ fuck_ did you get in here?" Massie screeched.

Before they could answer, they heard a door slam and somebody running down the hall towards Massie's room.

"Massie?" They heard William Block's alarmed voice through the door. Right before he opened the door, the boys ducked into Massie's closet. "What's wrong, girls?" Massie's eyes grew wide as she saw that he held a pistol.

"Daddy," she breathed, "we're sooo sorry. There was a… huge… huge spider on my bed right next to us. But I killed it with a magazine. Now my sheets are all gross with squashed bug." She pointed to her bed where there was, indeed, an issue of Glamour magazine.

He sighed, both relieved and exasperated. "Oh girls. You almost gave me a heart attack. Alright, okay." He put the gun back onto safety mode. "Honey, just get a new set of sheets from Elsa. And get some sleep, girls. It's been another long day."

"We will, Mr. Block." Dylan muttered.

After he left, Kristen stormed over to the closet and threw the door open. She immediately began hitting all five of them as hard as she could in any area she could.

"Ow!" "Stop!" "Agh." They winced as she beat them.

"Considering everything that's been going on, you'd think someone in their right mind would think it best not to sneak in and scare us like that!" Claire whisper yelled.

"Okay. We're sorry." Cam said.

"I'm not gonna ask again." Massie fumed through gritted teeth. "How did you get in here? You." She pointed at Derrick. "It was cute when you did it once. Now it's just freaking me out."

Derrick sighed. "I know that you hide the key to the backyard entrance in the gardening box outside. We snuck in from the back stairs. It leads up directly into the balcony in the yoga room and the yoga room, as you know, is connected to that room with all the purses and scarves. By the way, I still cannot believe that you have one of those."

"The gardening box is locked." She told him. "And 'that room with all the purses and scarves' is called an accessories closet."

"The combination is still 31-22-14, no? You forget that years ago I used to sneak you in and carry you up here after you drank too much. And I still can't believe you have one of those. That room is the size of your actual bedroom. I'm dating a spoiled brat."

Massie gazed at him for a moment, suddenly remembering. "Oh. I forgot you knew the combination."

Derrick smirked.

"That still doesn't give you the right to barge in on sleepovers whenever you feel like it and call me names. I told you. Call first, for Christ's sake. Hell even a warning knock would've sufficed." She scowled.

"If we called you probably would've said no." Kemp pointed out.

The PC rose their arched eyebrows as if to say, "And?"

"Okay. Sorry." Kemp apologized.

After a moment, they realized that they were still standing there, and the girls ran to hug them.

**

Claire was shocked by the intensity that Cam kissed her with. She forgot that she was mad fairly quickly when his arms went around her. It was absolutely insane that she could miss someone so much. But she did. She reached up, grabbed him by his hair, and pulled him in closer. His smell, his feel, his… everything made her feel giddy. They hadn't gotten any time together since they had become a couple two days ago.

Their old relationship had been mostly innocent so it was easy to feel the poignant sense of arousal that had never been there before. His firm grip on her, the visible scruff that was beginning to grow on his chin, and the domineering way he took control of the kiss made her wish that she could lock herself away with him in a room for days and never leave.

Suddenly remembering where she was, she felt embarrassed and pulled away only to see her friends completely ignoring each other with their own boyfriends. Comforted by that fact, she pulled him against the wall with her and latched onto his mouth again. When she ran out of air, she broke away again.

"Even though you almost scared the living crap out of us, I'm glad you came." She whispered.

"Even though Kristen almost beat the living crap out of us," Cam grinned, "I'm glad we came."

"Cam?" She murmured as he boxed her in against the wall.

"Hmm?" He asked running his nose along her cheek.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but in case anything happens to me-"

"Claire." He warned backing away. "Stop. Nothing is going to happen to you."

She looked at him and then continued. "In case anything happens to me, I just want you to know that you're the only guy, of all the guys I've been with, that has ever made me feel safe. Like I don't have to be anybody, but myself with you. And you make me happy. The others… they amused me, but you make me happy. And I just wanted you to know that."

When he didn't say anything, she gave him a confused look. "What? What's wrong?"

"I just… I don't want to think about anything happening to you. And I_ sure as hell _don't want to think about the other guys you've been with." He gave her a soft joking smile, but it faded quickly.

"We're together again, Claire. It still feels unreal. I used to think that I would never speak to you again. And then Chris accidently admitted that he'd do anything to get another shot with Dylan and the rest of us blurted out that we felt the same way about the rest of you. Derrick forced Josh to invite you guys to his party so we could make our move. I'm still grateful as fuck that he did otherwise you'd probably be all over some rugby player right now."

He grinned at Claire's sour glare, but his eyes remained serious as he continued,

"And I keep feeling like I'm gonna turn my head or look away and all of a sudden you'll be gone. I just need you to be okay. Believe it or not, you make me happy too. I really just want us to be fine… and uncomplicated."

"I have no intention of going anywhere. We are fine…" She assured intertwining their fingers. "But not uncomplicated. Not until we find him."

"Yeah I know." He breathed out tiredly. He closed his eyes, touching their foreheads together. "But not tonight. Let's you and me forget about him for tonight."

**

Kristen laughed as Kemp growled and bit her top lip.

"Your father hates me." When she laughed again he spoke, "No really. Like he _hates_ me."

"Cause you're defiling his pretty, pretty princess daughter. If you think about it, Kemp, I'm a parent's wet dream. I'm perfect. Straight A's, varsity soccer, yearbook, literary magazine…" She listed.

"Oooh. Keep talking about literary magazine. You know how much that turns me on."

She snorted and pushed his face away.

"I'm already aware that you, Kristen Gregory, are perfect. Honestly, that was the first thing that attracted me to you. That and the fact that someone pointed out that you have an uncanny resemblance to Barbie."

Her face turned to look at him sourly. "I do not."

"Yes. You do. All you're missing is the blue eyes. Yours are like four different colors and way sicker anyway. But seriously, I have a little sister. I know what those dolls look like. And hey, that's not, like, a _bad_ thing. You're the one Barbie I _really_ want to play with." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well maybe we don't really like each other. Maybe I'm with you to piss off my strict parents and fulfill my bad boy fantasies and you're with me to fulfill your desire to sleep with the future class president Barbie."

"Maybe. But you know me. I have a pretty short attention span. There has to be some reason that I always end up wanting to be here." He said as he nibbled her neck.

"Here?" She asked as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Where?"

"Here. With you. Always with you."

"Well then what reason is that?"

"There's the very good chance that I actually love you."

Kristen tensed for a second at his admission before melting into him. "Well yeah. There's that."

**

Alicia had only kissed Josh a couple of times since they'd gotten back together, which was a good thing to her. In the darkness of the library, she had allowed him one really long kiss before she told him that she wanted to talk. To her amazement, he had agreed.

She and Josh's breakup, compared to the other couples, had been one of the most dramatic. It had dragged on for weeks after it ended, with the bickering between her and Nina Callas going on non-stop.

It had hurt that Josh, whom she had trusted her thoughts and herself with, did absolutely nothing to protect her feelings while it happened. She kept on a brave face at school, but he had destroyed her emotionally and the PC had been the only ones to witness it. Massie had hated Josh after it all went down and after her friend's breakup with Derrick only a month later, Josh was only second to the blonde haired boy on the Massie Block shit list.

Getting over something like that wasn't easy for her, and even now it was hard for her to trust him. He had betrayed her in the past, but he was making up for it. She wanted to talk things over and he did. A lot. In the library during the short blackout, he'd told her anything and everything he could think of about his life while they were apart. He'd apologized repeatedly without trying to make excuses. And it helped. It made her feel the closure that they never got. And as their past was closing a beginning was opening. Kissing him was still amazing, but that hadn't been what she wanted then.

Now, as he stood in front of her, all she wanted to do was kiss him. She pressed her lips to his and then it became clear to both of them. They'd talked enough. Nothing more needed to be said.

**

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Chris said reaching into Dylan's shirt and pulling out a dog tag.

It was actually the same one Chris had showed to her years ago at his house. It had been hanging against the side of his mirror when Dylan asked him what it was for. He had explained that at his old summer camp, dog tags were rewarded to those who did something honorable. He had saved a drowning 7 year old girl who had fallen into a lake. After pulling her out, he had ignored his own injuries and tried CPR for 15 minutes persistently before resuscitating her. He'd explained that that was the first time he had ever felt like he was an "okay guy". Dylan, who had softened at his story, had kissed him over and over again telling him that he was more than 'okay' to her.

He gave it to her on their first anniversary to wear. It read his name on the front and on the back in tiny print letters:

TRUE HEROISM IS REMARKABLY SOBER, VERY UNDRAMATIC. IT IS NOT THE URGE TO SURPASS ALL OTHERS AT WHATEVER COST, BUT THE URGE TO SERVE OTHERS AT WHATEVER COST.

He had told her to keep it despite her protests; saying that she was the only other thing that made him feel like he was worth something and that it only made sense for her to wear it. So she did. At least until he called her that day and she ended it before he could. She had taken it off and tossed it into a box of things, meaning to give it back to him. Claire had gone to the hospital that day after being hit by a car so she'd forgotten all about it. For some reason, this afternoon, she tore her room apart looking for it. Questionably, it was found in the corner of her shoe closet. Putting it on again made her feel connected to him.

"Well you see," Dylan said leaning in so closely that her lips brushed against his as she talked. "This really brave, handsome guy I used to date gave it to me a while ago. You probably don't know him."

"Oh?" Chris smirked. "Probably not. But if this guy was really as brave and handsome as you say he was then I guess that the right thing to do would be to let you wear some other man's dog tag."

"How nice of you. I appreciate your-"

He shut her up in a pretty honorable way.

**

When Massie pulled away from their hug, she looked away from his eyes and down at her feet.

"Derrick?" She said meekly.

Derrick sighed deeply. "This can't be good. For as long as I've known you, you've never, ever said my name that way. And certainly not with that look on your face."

When she didn't say anything, he grew worried. "What's going on? What happened last night?"

She looked at the other people in the room, but luckily they were too busy paying attention to each other. Pulling him aside, away from them, she spoke. "Just listen to what I have to tell you before you say anything. And _please_ don't be mad at me."

"Block, what did you do?" He whispered.

"Somebody texted me from your phone. I thought it was you. I swear I thought it was you. And I thought you were teasing me. And I was in the bath tub and I told you… or at least who I thought was you that I was in the bath tub. And you were joking that I should send you a picture-"

"You didn't-"

"I did." She whimpered.

"Block." He winced. His mouth flattened into a thin line, but he said no more.

"I know. But it wasn't that bad. I wasn't naked. Well I was. But the picture was only from the shoulders up." Her hands flapped around ungracefully as she tried to explain herself. "And I was annoyed that "fake" you kept asking me for a picture when I already said no. So I stuck up the middle finger too and that's it basically. It's a picture of me flipping you off while I'm in the bath tub. But that's it. I swear. I love you." There was a pleading look on her face.

He didn't say anything. His face was hard and she asked a question though she already knew the answer.

"Derrick. Are you mad?"

"Yes." He said without hesitation.

"At me?"

He hesitated this time, but then he leaned in and brought her head to his chest, breathing in the scent of her hair. "No. I just wish that I didn't have to think about some freak doing weird things with your picture."

She groaned. "Believe me. I've thought about that enough for the both of us. But if it's Sam, I don't want to know what he plans on doing with it. Gawd, the picture looks so trashy if you don't know what was really going on when I took it. I didn't even want to tell you after I found out what I did. But I'm glad I did. Because you're being amazing about it and because you're a great boyfriend who forgives his girlfriend when she does stupid, stupid things." She wrapped her arms tightly around his lean torso to accompany all the sucking up she had to do to get the anger off his face.

"I have something to tell you too." Derrick said.

"Oh no." Massie said wearily, her voice muffled in his chest. "Hold on." She looked up at his face and pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Before you say anything, I really want you to kiss me."

And he obliged.

**

The couples spent a good amount of time hanging off alone away from each other around Massie's room making out and laughing. It was such a normal thing to do after all the stuff they'd been through that they'd lost track of time and before they knew it, it was almost midnight.

"Okay." Kemp said, pulling away from Kristen who whined at the loss of contact. "I've got to call for the escalade service to drive us back to my house. It's late so they'll charge me extra and since I've got no cash on me, I'll have to use my credit card. It'll show up on my parent's bill."

Derrick, who looked up at him from lying on top of Massie in another corner of the room, checked his watch. "I didn't think about that. I've only got, like, a twenty on me. You're right."

Josh, hearing his friends talk to each other, spoke up. "Wait up," he reached into the back pocket of his jeans, "I've got my debit card. It's in my name. I've still got five hundred on this one. We can stay as long as we want."

Chris, who was still attached to Dylan's face, threw Josh a thumbs-up in thanks for footing the bill.

"Wait," Kristen said to Kemp before he came closer, "Mass, we were supposed to make a plan tonight, remember?"

Claire groaned pushing Cam away from her neck. "She's right. And now that the guys are here we can tell them about the Riddler."

"I can already tell that that isn't good news so we'll talk about it tomorrow." Cam rolled his eyes trying to climb back on top of her. "Our problems will still be here in the morning."

"No, wait." Massie remembered. "Derrick, you said you had something to tell me."

"You told her?" Chris asked, peeved, finally pulling away from Dylan. "I thought we agreed that we weren't coming over here tonight to talk about Sam."

"Told me what?" Massie questioned.

"Yeah. Told her what?" Dylan echoed.

"I told her that I had something to tell her." Derrick corrected quickly. "But I didn't tell her. And I didn't mean that I meant to tell her _tonight _what I needed to tell her."

Massie shook her head in confusion at what he just said. "Derrick… what the hell are you talking about? I have no idea what you just said. Tell me what?"

"Well he doesn't mean you personally. All of you. Tell all of you." Kemp explained.

"Tell all of us WHAT?" Kristen demanded.

After dozens of meaningful looks were passed between the boys, Josh sighed and answered.

"I got a note."

"What?" Alicia whipped around to look at him so fast, her neck cracked. Without warning, Alicia, who had never been violent in her life, punched him in the chest.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?" Josh hissed.

"How could you not tell me? We've just been sitting here fooling around, when you have news like this?" She whispered ferociously.

Josh had nothing to say. Suddenly, it was so obvious that he looked tired and somber and had just wanted one good night with her without the drama that was taking over their lives. Alicia's frown disappeared when seeing this. She took his hands and kissed his knuckles, silently telling him it would be okay.

"Where is it? The note." Claire said looking a little reluctant to ask.

"Plovert, you've got it right?" Josh asked softly.

"Yeah." Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper. "It's directed towards us. Me and the boys I mean."

"What's it say?" Dylan prodded.

Unfolding it like it weighed a ton, Chris grabbed Dylan's hand, whether to comfort her or for his own comfort, and read:

**Fierce protectors.**

**What a sham.**

**Behind your smiles and your golden boy personas is something I'll never understand. Have any of you ever felt alone? I'll bet you a million dollars you haven't. Always a delicate, ****poisonous ****flower on your arm. Flowers need constant, careful attention. They need to be watered. Do you know what happens when you don't water flowers, boys? THEY DIE. **

Dylan squeezed Chris' hand, but didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.

"That's not all. And there was this." He pulled a photo out of his pocket and passed it around.

In the picture, the boys were sitting at a table eating. Derrick was grinning at something Cam was saying. Josh was leaning over the table to bump fists with a boy whose face you couldn't see under his baseball cap. Kemp and Chris were leaned into each other mid-conversation, but obviously talking with their mouths full.

The scary thing about the photo was how close it was. The person had to have taken it while sitting at the table right across from theirs.

Alicia gasped. "Where was this taken?"

"At White Plains during the blizzard." Derrick answered grimly.

"This is getting worse." Kristen worried. "His notes are getting more frequent and he's getting more risky with his encounters with us."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Massie asked. "That means he could be getting sloppy."

"No," Kristen shook her head, "that shows haste. He's moving things along more quickly. That might mean he's getting ready to strike again soon."

"When did you get this?" Dylan questioned looking at Josh.

"As soon as I got home from the police station, it was in the mailbox in a blank envelope. My parents were already inside. They didn't see it." He said looking relieved at the fact.

"The FBI needs to see this." Massie told them.

"Why? Why are we talking to them, Block?" Derrick asked. "This is what's getting him angry."

"If he didn't want the cops to find out, he shouldn't have written on the wall in our room during the blizzard when the cops were scoping the place out. And it was getting too hard to keep it from them. The pressure of them hounding us and the pressure off this guy moving in was getting to be too much. I had to solve one of our problems." Massie insisted.

Derrick relented, shrugging. "Well what have you guys found out? Claire said something about the Riddler. What does that mean? What's the Riddler?"

Claire went on to tell them everything they'd figured out, and how that correlated with the poem Dylan got. Chris stiffened when he found out that Sam had been in direct contact with his girlfriend that night. None of the boys were too pleased that they had gone without them to talk to Brooke, and they were especially not happy that they had conversed with A.J., the kid that was notoriously known for almost paralyzing another kid in a fight over a scratch on his bike.

"Actually A.J.'s kind of nice." Kristen said.

"And interesting." Dylan agreed.

"Don't forget _insanely _cute." Alicia added. "I mean do you see that kid's face? It's ridiculous."

"His body…" Claire said with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Um, I'm right here." Cam scowled. "Remember me? Cam? Fisher?"

Claire rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"And you're calling him A.J.?" Kemp snorted. "Don't you mean whacko Whitman?"

"Oh, stop it," Massie tsked. "Don't call him that. He made a mistake. He obviously had some issues and got the help he needed or else he wouldn't be back in Westchester."

"Do you hear yourselves?" Josh said with annoyance. "If roles were reversed and we were talking about some girl, you'd be tearing us a new one."

"Well _ahbvi_-ously." Alicia shrugged. "It's completely different if we comment on a guy and you guys comment on a girl. It's statistically proven that you are more prone to act on your attraction than we are. We're talking about A.J. from a far more appreciative point of view, whereas you guys talk about girls like they're there for the taking."

"Oh, please. Lame excuse, much?" Derrick scoffed. "Girls cheat too."

"Of course they do." Kristen agreed, "Just not as often. And usually for a lot more reasons than the fact that the guy was hot. To guys, cheating is often purely about wanting sex. Whenever. With Whoever. To girls it's more about personality traits that they admire or find attractive in a guy who isn't their boyfriend."

"Whatever. You said it yourselves. You do have more reasons than the fact that he's hot. He's not just hot. He's _nice_. And_ insanely cute_. And_ interesting_…" Cam mimicked them in a ridiculous girl impersonation that had him raising his voice into impossible decibels of highness.

Claire smiled at his jealousy. "And you have nothing to worry about." She pecked him on the lips. "Would it help you if I told you that you're also insanely cute and interesting? Besides me and the girls are in the process of setting him up with Lisette."

"Um, I'd rather you guys not set up one of our friends with Whacko Whitman." Kemp said popping a couple of orange Tic Tacs in his mouth.

"Can you not call him that?" Kristen lightly slapped his chest and stole a Tic Tac. "And why not? He's witty, good-looking, intelligent, did I forget to mention good looking?"

"No." Kemp ground out sarcastically. "How about once more for good measure?"

"If there's one thing we know about Lisette is that she never has an opinion about people she hasn't met personally." Dylan voiced. "Stories, no matter how great in number they are, never mold her final judgement of someone until she's sat down with them and talked to them herself. Trust us. She'll love A.J. She's bored with Westchester guys anyway. As soon as word gets out that he's back in town, girls will be all over that bad boy. And Liz is an alpha and therefore entitled to first pick."

"And something tells me that he will come in useful sometime in the near future." Massie said running her fingers through her hair trying to untangle a knot that had formed at the back of her head. "I'd rather him less difficult when I need him. He wants to help but he's still very suspicious and distrustful of us right now. Not that he doesn't have a right to be considering how the "lovely" people of Westchester have treated him in the past. I want him to be completely relaxed around us. I don't know about you guys but for me, getting someone to help you is more effective when they actually trust you."

"And what does Lisette have to do with making him useful?" Chris wondered.

Massie looked at him. "People need motivation. And Lisette will be that for him. She's a girl in this town, and a popular one at that. She could very well be a target of Sam's. A.J. will realize that. He thinks he wants to help us now, but he'll be desperate to find this guy once he's grown attached to Liz and knows there's a chance she could be in danger."

"You sound sure of yourself." Chris stated noncommittally.

"She is. We all are." Dylan told the guys. "Look at the five of you. You fools could've had your way out of this if you stayed away from us for a little while and stopped looking for him. But you did neither. And why you ask? Because you had **motivation**."

"Motivation." He repeated dryly.

Alicia smirked. " Yes. Motivation. Also known as lady friends, girlfriends, simpatico companions of the female nature… "

"Yeah, but we've known you for years now. Time has made us attached to you. You can't compare what we have to what he'll have with a girl he's just met." Derrick spoke. "I don't think it'll work out quite like you want it to."

"Have you forgotten who Lisette is?" Kristen asked incredulously. "She has Skye, who has a new boyfriend every three days, wishing that she could speak to guys like Lisette does. I'm half in love with her now and I'm not even a lesbian. There's something about her… I know you've realized it; don't deny it. When she talks to you, you feel the need to always be paying attention. And she's been everywhere and done everything, making her, like, the most fascinating person who goes to our school. Can any of you honestly tell me you don't have tiny crushes on her?"

The guys all looked away guiltily.

"That's what I thought." She gave them a knowing look. "After a few days with her, he'll be ready and willing to help us."

"So what, we're just going to use this guy by making him fall for a girl who already has _dozens of other guys_ in love with her?" Cam asked incredulously with a trace of anger in his voice. "He'll be like a puppet we're using for personal gain?"

"Not exactly." Claire answered giving him soft pleading look. "We're not forcing him to do anything. By introducing them, we're just tipping one domino and letting the rest fall as they should. She'll fall for him too."

"And how can you be sure of that?" Cam questioned.

"Because we know her." Massie said lightly, "Besides Edie and Shayla, we probably know her better than anyone. When I talked to him, I felt it. The high I feel when I'm talking to someone who's able… who I consider an equal. That sort of slyness and ingenuity that people like us can appreciate. People like all of you. People like Lisette. He's alpha material. She will actually have respect for him. Her feelings for him will come soon after she realizes that she does."

Massie's explanation and expression of certainty stopped the questioning immediately.

Moving on quickly Alicia asked, "So what's our plan?" She looked between Massie and Kristen who seemed to have the most to say about Sam.

Massie said nothing.

Kristen sat silent for a moment and everyone watched as a grave expression appeared on her face. Then, she spoke, "For now. Stay safe. I know that it sounds ridiculous, but something doesn't feel right. He had no reason to kill Julie. He killed Regina to get our attention. He has it and he knows that. Julie was just for sport. He's getting more confident and it shows. He likes crowds so we have an exact date for our next encounter."

"The auction." Kemp whispered.

"Yes. The auction."

A mixture of guilt and anxiety began to build in the air of the room, and it suddenly felt too hot.

Derrick cursed under his breath. "Cancel it."

"We can't." Massie told him shaking her head.

"Fuck, Block!" He said angrily looking at her so coldly she flinched. "Cancel the auction! I'm not going to let you jeopardize lives so you can throw another posh event. I'm telling all the guys that it's cancelled whether you like it or not!"

Her voice trembled when she replied. "No. You don't understand. It's gotten too big. The Women of Westchester Club sent me a letter last week before any of this was happening. It's already been decided. They thought this was a great idea so more women added their sons to the auction ballot. We're not just raising money for the soccer team anymore. We're raising money for the Town Hall reconstruction in Westchester Plaza. It's out of my hands. Even if I cancelled the soccer auction, everyone in town is still going, parents included."

A stream of swear words came out of the other guys' mouths.

"This would have never happened if you'd cancelled the auction when we told you to the first time." Chris said glaring at nothing.

"Yeah, well it's a little too late for I-told-you-so's." Dylan said glaring at him.

"He's right though." Cam responded. "You guys don't listen. You barely even think before act. You just think you know everything and then stuff like this happens."

"We barely think before we act?" Alicia turned to look at him. "Well I suppose that's better than what you guys did. You're reckless when you're having fun, but when it's serious you freeze. All you guys did was think. And think. And think. And you never did anything. And that's why it took us so long to find out the little information that we did."

"Okay, guys," Claire held up her hands defensively, "it's nawt the time to play the blame game."

"That's common sense, Alicia." Josh said with an edge to his voice. "You can't afford to be reckless when somebody threatens to end your life. Or didn't you know?"

"Don't talk down to me like that, asshole. Don't tell me what common sense is. Going to Brooke's house was the _only_ thing we did that I'm sure was the right thing to do. That wasn't reckless."

"Look what you've done." Massie said to Derrick.

"What? Me?" He pointed at himself.

"Yes, you." She said frustrated. "When you get riled up, you rile everyone up. Things were calm until you opened your mouth."

"Excuse me for getting upset after realizing that someone else is going to die because of an event my girlfriend is throwing, even after I asked her not to!" Derrick seethed.

"You say that like I knew that this was going to happen!" She spat back. "You forget that when you asked us not to do this, we had only received one note from Sam and all he told Claire to do was to shut up if she had seen anything, which she hadn't. We figured Sam had some personal quarrel with Regina and that it was why he killed her. We had no idea that it was about us and we never thought things would get this far with him."

"Which brings us back to the fact that, like Cam said, you don't listen." Kemp responded before Derrick could speak. "We told you to be careful."

"_What are you not getting_?" Kristen asked, gesturing wildly out of irritation. "This is not about what choices we did or didn't make. He would've come after us no matter we decided. This was how it was always going to be, auction or no."

"No." Chris said shaking his head vigorously. "He may have come after you, but that doesn't mean its right to build platforms and opportunities for him to do what he does. You fucked up by not handling this as soon as Massie got the photo album and the poem and now we need to find a way to fix it. Nobody else needs to die."

"Well what do you propose we do, Chris?" Massie threw her hands up exasperatedly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Okay. You win. You told us so. We fucked up. Is that what you wanted to hear? It was, wasn't it? Now how am I supposed to get everyone in Westchester to not show up on Saturday for this auction? Do you want us to go door to door to every one of those thousands of houses and explain that if they don't stay home, there's a chance that someone will die? Guess what? They don't care. People already know that this guy is on the loose and do you see anybody locking themselves inside and stopping their lives? No. Because this is Westchester. Money never sleeps and all that jazz. And the cops aren't helping by telling them that they've got everything in control, cause they don't. Not even a little."

"I'm not saying that, Mass." Chris said softly trying to calm her down. "I'm saying that we need you to start looking at things from all angles, not just the Pretty Committee's. And by living your lives like you normally would, you're not doing that. Now's not the time to be throwing parties and giving him chances to come after you and other people."

"This guy is getting less and less rational. You can hear it in the way he writes." Kemp said holding up the latest letter. "The last thing we need to be doing is helping him find his next victim."

"Trust us with this for once. We need you to stop taking risks." Derrick almost pleaded. "Listen to what we're telling you and stop toying with him. We're not being stupid about this."

"We've never said that." Alicia told him.

"It's not what you say. It's how you act." Josh replied.

For a while, no one said anything.

"Well maybe this is a good thing." Claire tried. "He'll be there. For sure. We have cops at our beck and call and we know what we're looking for. A tall, wiry, muscled, young man. Ages 14-21. Looking suspicious or paying close attention to us. Now that we know what we're looking for, we may be able to get close enough to him to end this."

"Too dangerous." Chris said. "No. Stay by us or your parents all night. Don't go off investigating."

"And if not, then there's one instance where he's sure to strike. Massie's Sweet." Kristen said to Claire as if he hadn't spoken.

"Cancel that." Cam looked to Derrick, silently telling him to order his girlfriend to do just that.

The guys looked at her. Derrick's jaw tightened as he spoke. "Block, listen to us. Listen to me. For once. Don't do this. Don't throw a sweet sixteen. Don't even _think_ about throwing a sweet sixteen. That'll get him excited. You know what will happen if he's excited."

Massie, not wanting to give in to the boys' request just yet, looked at the PC. "Girls, we could get him. What Claire said makes sense. Do you think I should cancel my sweet?"

The PC looked to each other. Too much was at stake. They could get him. Simultaneously, they answered.

"No."

"You know what?..." Kemp, who had the fastest temper, said getting up. His fists were clenched so tightly he looked like he might punch someone at any moment. "I'm out of here." Without a glance at Kristen, he stormed out the way they came.

The rest of the boys sat still for a second before following his example and getting up. They ignored the girls as they asked them to stay and talk and left without another word.

When the door in Massie's bathroom slammed shut, the PC looked at each other again.

"Maybe they were right," Claire said biting her lip. "Maybe we should have left this conversation for another time. Talking about this always causes problems. Tonight was completely ruined."

"Let's hope that what we're doing is right and that nobody else gets hurt." Dylan voiced.

"Oh, Gawd. If we screw up, they'll never forgive us." Alicia moaned putting her face in her hands. "What do we do?"

''

The boys did not talk to them the next day at school.

The gossip train was circling the topic of the girl dying at White Plains Community College. Massie got a few looks and even fewer questions about being the one to find Julie which she was happy about. But she wasn't happy. None of the girls were.

Because the boys did not talk to them. Not at all. Not even a glance. It was like how they used to be before they reunited, but ten times worse because before, it used to be indifference to each other and now it was just a major freeze out. Also, because the obvious fact that they were dating. One would hope that when one has a boyfriend, he would spare them a word… or a glance… or _anything_ really.

The PC didn't try to talk to them either. They knew it was futile. The guys sort of had a right to be angry. But the girls knew that if they tried to talk them, it would result in either a huge confrontation in front of the whole school or a breakup, neither of which they wanted to happen. So they left things as they were.

In the auditorium during Conflict Resolution class, Kristen walked in late with noticeably puffy eyes, but she gave no hint of sorrow and the PC knew better than to say anything. They understood her plight. The boys sat far away from them and after a quick glance, the girls didn't look their way.

Finally, after a long period of talking about everything, but the one thing they really wanted to, she spoke.

"Kemp told me he loved me last night. And now he hates me. We're playing the Who-can-pretend-the-other-doesn't-exist- better-than-the-other game. Round 146." She told them chuckling bitterly. "Lucky for me, I have four classes in a row with him. So I get to ignore him consecutively."

"Me and Josh finally got over everything that happened after our last split." Alicia sighed her eyes never leaving her phone as she scrolled down her Facebook newsfeed. "Guess we're back at square one."

"Well," Massie said looking into her palm mirror and applying Kat Von D's new lipstick in a sexy shade called Underage Red. She wanted to look indifferent. She wouldn't allow any outsiders to catch a glimpse of her sadness. She'd done that too much lately. Alphas don't look upset. At least not in public. "if you want, I can cancel my sweet. I don't want to see you guys suffering over this."

"What about you and Derrick?" Claire rose an eyebrow.

"Me and Derrick," She paused as she blotted her lips on a napkin and continued, "have almost never agreed on anything. If the only way to find Sam is by having this party, then I'm willing to let him give me up."

"Let him give you up?" Dylan echoed. "You mean give him up."

"Nope." Massie said closing her mirror and dropping it into her Chanel. "I won't give him up. If this is going to end, I want him to remember that it was his decision, not mine. That way, I'll never have to sit through one of his sob stories about me leaving him ever again. I love the kid, but this constant back and forth has to end at some point. I'm hoping later than sooner, but it's out of my hands right now. The ball's in his court."

"Point." Alicia said blearily.

"We're having our first fights three days into our relationships. What does that say about us?" Dylan smirked wryly.

"That's not good." Claire answered. "But we've been fighting each other for years now. This isn't anything new. My mom told me that couples are supposed to fight because it brings passion into the relationship."

Kristen scoffed. "I think we have enough passion to last us a lifetime then."

"Well what are our options?" Massie asked picking lint off her grey and red woven cigarette pants by Thakoon, "We do what the boys want and cancel my sweet and lose our chance at possibly catching Sam off guard or we go ahead and do it and hope for the best. However, we can't forget that the auction's sooner and out of my hands completely. Sam may strike there too. We could get him there."

"We're unsure of how that auction will go so let's keep the sweet as an option. If we cancel and Sam never shows up at the auction, not only will we lose our chance at getting closer to his identity, but he'll just find another way to get to us. Sam likes crowds you guys, but he doesn't need one. You know that." Alicia said.

"Yeah, but the boys don't care about that. They think that we're treating them like glorified arm candy. Like what they have to say doesn't matter." Kristen explained.

"Aren't we though?" Massie asked looking a little lost. "We do what we think is best for the Pretty Committee no matter what anyone says, including them. We never consult them and even when we take into consideration what they have to say, a lot of the time we just end up doing what we want. They have a right to be angry, but that doesn't mean that we're not doing the right thing."

"I'm tired." Claire said bleakly. And she looked it. Her hair was in a plain ponytail, her bangs clipped to the side by a cream-colored sea shell barrette and besides some blush and a pale pink lip gloss, she wore no makeup. Her pretty blue eyes looked ready to give up.

"I know." Massie said, looking at her sadly. "Me too. And I know that I have final say as alpha, but we need to vote. I can't say what's going to happen between me and Derrick if I go ahead with this. I don't want to decide. And I definitely _won't _decide for you guys."

"Alright." Dylan said softly. "All in favor of going ahead with the party say 'aye'."

Almost a minute passed by while they looked at each other before a vote was made.

'Aye.' Dylan said first, making a two finger salute in the air. "I just can't wait around for Sam to do his worst like this anymore. I need this all to be over. I care about Chris. More than he'll ever know or even grow to deserve and I don't want my relationship to end with him. I mean it's barely even started. But if he knew me at all, he'd understand. I'm just hoping in time he will."

Finding that reason good enough and agreeing wholeheartedly, Claire voted. "Aye."

Kristen, who still looked too upset to vote, looked away.

"Aye." Alicia decided. She watched as Kristen let out a shaky breath at Alicia's vote. Then she looked back at the group.

"Alright, Mass." Kristen murmured. "Three out of five. The decision's been made."

"Okay." Was all she answered.

They let their decision marinate with them in silence. Claire's fingers flew to her mouth and she quickly began chewing on her cuticles. She knew her friends were really nervous because none of them stopped her.

''

After having lunch, minus the guys, the PC headed back to their classes. A couple minutes before the bell was supposed to ring, they came out of the girl's bathroom after retouching their hair and makeup to find five guys waiting outside for them.

Oliver, Steven, Chris, Denver and Eric of the Denwood-Ames Rugby team stood there shooting rays of arrogance just by their stance alone.

Massie, who knew for a fact that neither she nor the others girls were in any mood to deal with this, spoke first.

"You." She drawled uninterestedly.

"Block." Oliver said in greeting.

"Massie." Her eyes flashed, remembering Derrington. "Call me Massie."

"Okay then, Massie." He replied. "Do you mind if we walk you to class?"

The boys next to him smiled and moved in closer ready for them to say yes. Claire awkwardly shuffled farther away and scratched the back of her neck.

"Well," Massie answered, "you can. But we don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"What do you mean?" Steven asked narrowing his eyes in speculation.

"You must've heard that we're… off the market." Alicia said cringing at her use of a lame term like that one.

"Well we heard some stuff about you and a couple of those… soccer dudes." Chris told them. "But I haven't seen them around you all day so unless there's someone else… "

"No. You got it right the first time. Those soccer… dudes." Kristen said blandly.

"Hm." Denver said thoughtfully. "Then shouldn't it be their job to walk you to class? Where are they?" He looked at Kristen. "I guess I should let you know that your boy Kemp is in my art class. That chick, Tessa Matthews, was all over him today. He didn't seem too shook up about it."

The PC snapped their heads to look at Kristen.

Kristen felt a small pang of hurt before she glared. "If you think I'll be more interested in you because you threw that piece of information at me in the way you just did, then you're not as smart as I took you for."

"Look," Steven said putting up his hands defensively, "Whatever, man. If you all wanna stay with a bunch of whiny soccer punks who are too busy panting after other chicks to pay you any attention than you can. And you," he pointed at Alicia, "can call me whenever you want to have some _real_ fun."

Alicia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Are you done?"

"Come on." Oliver said leading the boys away.

Right as they were disappearing down the hall, the bell rang. Kids burst out of the cafeteria and headed over to their lockers for their next class.

"Listen, Kris," Massie said to her clearly upset friend, "Kemp is a lot of things. Most of them aren't good. We all know that. But if there were anything I was ever sure about when regarding him, it's that he's crazy about you. Always has been. Even when you went all goth to get with Griffin Hastings." The girls chuckled at that. "He wouldn't cheat on you. Especially not now. He's mad, but only because he's worried. So don't listen to anything anybody has to say. He's yours. Don't screw that up because of jealousy and trust issues. That got to me and Derrington more times than I can count. It's stupid and so nawt worth it, alright?"

Kristen nodded and took in a deep breath, throwing her shoulders back confidently.

"Atta girl." Claire smiled at her.

"Alright. Let's get to class." Massie said leading the way.

''

Claire turned around and took Mimi Hilson's geometry homework before adding hers on the pile and passing it up her row. She turned to her left to look at Dylan who sat right next to her chewing a wad of Strawberry gum and painting her nails gold.

She opened her mouth to say something to her red headed friend when from the front of the classroom, Alexia Nunzio, called her name.

"Claire." The pretty Italian girl said somewhat loudly.

"Yeah?"

"About the soccer auction… if my friend bids on your boyfriend for a night will you be angry? I mean it is a bachelor's auction. It's not her fault he's not a bachelor anymore."

Immediately Dylan plopped the nail polish brush back in the bottle and looked at her friend, awaiting her answer, as did most of the class.

Cam who was sitting on the other side of the room, but clearly heard her, remained with an unchanged expression, but she knew he would be listening.

Claire already knew her answer. She couldn't care less about who got the date with Cam. But still she reconsidered telling her that. She was unsure whether Cam would be pleased or hurt with her true feelings about it. Remembering Massie's words to Kristen, she decided to tell the truth, and spoke.

"Well no. It's for a cause, right?" She said, "He's at least worth 300 so she better promise to bid high. But tell her to have him home by midnight and to keep her hands to herself, alright? I don't want to have to start pulling extensions on Monday." She winked.

The girl smiled good-naturedly and responded. "Alright, I'll tell her. I can't make any promises though. He's pretty cute."

"Oh I know it. He's very cute. And very mine."

Her eyes flickered to Cam who did a very bad job at pretending to not have heard her. Now he looked antsy like he wanted to get up. Maybe to come talk to her. Or maybe to just leave the room. When the teacher started to speak though, he calmed down and his face was blank again. She sighed.

"He toad-ally cracked a little," Dylan leaned in and whispered. "It's only a matter of time. They can't stay mad at us. We're adorable. I mean can you stay angry at this face?" She widened her jungle green eyes and made a comical pouty face. Claire giggled.

"Told ya." Dylan leaned back in her desk sitting forward again and began blowing on her nails.

''

After walking Massie halfway to French, Alicia and Kristen went to history. Chris, Kemp, and Josh were all in this class, but of course they moved seats today.

"Are you still sad about the Kemp and Tessa bullshit? " Alicia asked Kristen who sat behind her.

"Thankfully, No." Kristen answered. "With all the stuff I went through with him and other girls before, it was easy for me to forget to question how likely it is that he'd do that. But I know what he's like. He's a flirt and probably always will be. It's just who he is. That doesn't mean that he'll cheat or that I shouldn't trust him."

"Besides, even guys like Kemp have standards." Alicia muttered softly. "Tessa Matthews has oily hair and the personality of a piece of celery. Not to mention she smells like cotton candy and **vomit**."

Kristen made the mistake of letting a loud cackle slip catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Miss Gregory. Miss Rivera. I think we'd all like a laugh too. Care to share what was so funny?" Mr. Vannaham drawled void of amusement.

"No, sir." They answered together.

"Good. Now turn around." He ordered Alicia who did just that. Both girls still had hints of a smile on their face though.

Pulling out their phones, they began to text one another.

**From: Kristen **

**Ur terrible. But I love it. Thanxx 4 cheering me up 3.**

**From: Alicia**

**No problem. Tessa called me a bulimic pod robot once. I wish I could cheer up Mass tho. I feel bad about leaving her.**

**From: Kristen**

**I kno. She's stuck w/ Derrington all by herself in French. I hope he's not being an ass. He says the worst things 2 her when hes mad.**

**From: Alicia**

**The bastards lucky Ive sort of grown 2 love him like a brother. But she'll be fine. She's not the type 2 let him get away w/ being a prick. And if he does we can take care of him. **

**From: Kristen**

"**take care of him". Sounds mafia-ish. We should really start r own mob family. instead of scary men in suits it'll b made up of evil girls. We'll call ourselves Les Femmes Fatales. -(should've taken French)**

**From: Alicia**

**Deal. Public Enemy Number One: SAM. We'll be r own hitmen. Take that John Gotti. Al Capone. John Dillinger. **

**From: Kristen**

**Lmao. We'll borrow Will Block's pistol 2 make ourselves more legit. ^_^**

**From: Alicia**

**OMG. I forgot. Massie's dad totally DOES have a gun. What do u think? Dyl would probably b most at ease 2 the idea of killing someone.**

Kristen laughed under her breath.

**From: Kristen**

**I mean it is true what they say. Well she IS a red head and every1 knows that ginger's have no soul! lmfaooo**

"Um excuse me." Mr. Vannahan said loudly. "You two. Phones up here. Now."

Both girls froze and stiffened.

Alicia's eyes widened and turned into an icy stare. "Are you serious? Almost everyone in here is or has at some point been on their phone."

People shot her looks and slyly slid their phones out of view.

"Not from what I can tell." He replied back. "Now you can either hand them in now or go to the office and get 2 weeks detention. You know our school policy concerning electronics."

Gritting her teeth, Alicia led the way with Kristen behind her to the front of the room where they felt all the class's watching eyes following them.

"Thank you." He said smugly confiscating both their phones. "Well I don't know if you heard, but when this happens I usually like to read a few of the messages that were so interesting that you had to ignore the class for out loud so everyone can join in."

"You can't do that." Kristen hissed tensing up visibly.

"Miss Gregory, I very well can."He smirked.

Picking up Kristen's Blackberry, he opened up to the inbox and read:

**OMG. I forgot. Massie's dad totally DOES have a gun. What do u think? Dyl would probably b most at ease 2 the idea of killing someone.**

A wave of gasps were heard around the room.

Kristen and Alicia looked at each other realizing how bad that sounded.

"Would one of you like to explain what that means?" He asked gravely.

"That's a joke." Alicia said her face as white as a sheet.

"Not a very funny one. I'm afraid I'm going to need to call someone in here so that I may escort you to the office."

"No really." Kristen said. "That's a _joke. _Read the message before it or after it. That's not what it sounds like."

"Really?" He asked clearly not buying it. "I think I may speak for everyone here when I say that that is exactly what it sounds like. With the horrors going on in this town, you're making jokes about murder. Charming."

"Ehmagawd." Alicia whispered running a hand through her hair, before dropping her arm tiredly. "You don't understand anything that's going on right now. _Awn-estly _if you did, I don't even think you'd be able to handle it. So why don't we forget about this, you give me and my friend our phones back and you continue to teach about World War I or whatever?"

She heard a chorus of oooh's at her disrespectful response, but she didn't care.

"Firstly, Miss Rivera I will not forget about it. Secondly, I will not return your phones. Thirdly, we are learning about the Great Depression. You'd know that if you were paying attention. Lastly, I don't like your tone."

Kristen's head snapped to look at him. There was a light in her brown-blue-green-grey eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Mr. Vannaham." She trilled slowly. The change in her voice got everyone's attention. It was… sweet. Scarily so. "Mr. Dennis Vannaham. Dennis? May I call you Dennis? Well you see Dennis I don't think you want to do this. Do you want to know why Dennis?"

Mr. Vannaham crossed his arms and turned his head to look at her mockingly. "Please, Miss Gregory. Enlighten me."

"Well Dennis, I happen to know a lot of things about you. Things that I feel you'd be more comfortable to know were just between you and me. So you can choose to do as Alicia asked and let this whole situation go or you can pursue it and see what happens."

No snickers from classmates were heard this time. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Until Dennis Vannaham laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

"I can't believe it." He wiped under his eyes so that she could see that he was looking for tears. "I've been teaching for 11 years and never have I ever had a student threaten me. This is beautiful. I must say, Miss Gregory, you and Miss Rivera have a lot of, pardon my French, _**balls**_. I don't know whether to be amused or offended. I'm leaning toward the former so I guess that's good news, right? Maybe you'll make it out of this with merely an in school suspension."

Alicia smiled liking the look on Kristen's face. The blonde didn't even blink during his whole display and speech which was good news. Kristen, the tamest of the PC next to Claire, was still pretty vicious when provoked. If Kristen didn't look worried, then neither should she be.

A little part of her was also happy that both Josh and Kemp were witnessing this. They often worried about their girlfriends. Maybe this would ease the tension a bit.

"Okay, Dennis," Kristen sighed dramatically, "it pains me that this is now going to be some dragged on incident considering I know how busy you are coaching the wrestling team, but you made your choice. While you take us to the office and discover that the whole thing with us and our conversation was a misunderstanding, I'll be with Headmaster Fowler telling him about how last summer you visited the local drug dealer, Benny Paterson's house and asked him about getting something to help beef up your wrestlers that wouldn't show up on a urine test." The class went wild. Mr. Vannaham looked about ready to have a stroke. "Or how about your little fling with Hanna Zhang right after she graduated? I mean she _**was **_eighteen, but I don't how your boss or her parents are gonna feel abo-"

"That's enough!" He roared rising from his seat so fast that it tumbled over. Kristen, much to her dismay, actually flinched back, but the message was clear. She won.

Alicia threw her head back and laughed beautifully as her silky dark waves reached the end of her back.

His furious gaze turned to a laughing Alicia and then back to a smug Kristen. He stepped around his desk, but before he could do or say anything, Josh, Kemp, And Chris were all out of their seats standing in between them.

"Hey man, back off." Kemp said.

"You're a little liar!" Mr. Vannaham said fiercely with a red face trying to get around Kemp. "Everyone's knows it."

Kristen's eyebrows rose. "Am I? Benny Paterson would rat you out for a glimpse of my bra strap and Hanna Zhang keeps a diary in her underwear drawer. She's away at Princeton right now. I'm sure if I called her parents up they wouldn't mind invading her privacy a little just to have a check."

If it were possible, Alicia laughed her vicious laugh even louder. Their teacher grew even more outraged and tried to push Kemp aside to get to the girls, but Josh helped him out and both boys didn't budge.

"Go downstairs to the office and get someone. Tell them to come up here. This is getting out of hand." Chris told some kid who nodded and left.

"She warned you." Alicia shrugged.

"I warned you." Kristen agreed.

Seeing him get angrier, Josh turned around.

"Both of you stop it!" he yelled. "You're just pissing him off more."

"I'm fine." Mr. Vannaham said shrugging their arms off, suddenly remembering where he was and who he appeared ready to attack. "Tell that young man to come back in here. I'm fine. Everyone sit down."

"Are you sure?" Chris asked stepping closer to the man and looking him meaningfully in the eye. "Can we put this behind us and move on or is this going to need to become something involving the school board?"

"No, goddamnit, now bring that boy back in here!" He fumed.

Chris nodded and without another word left. A minute later, he re-entered with the other boy in tow.

The older man, now noticing everyone's eyes on him, looked embarrassed and still very angry. Nevertheless, he slid their phones back over to them and lifted his chair off the ground.

"Everyone get out your textbooks and work on the chapter review until the bell rings." He glared at Kristen and Alicia full of hatred then sat back in his chair and turned to look out the window, in another world.

Chris went to go sit, but Kemp and Josh stayed and looked at a now serious Kristen and Alicia for a moment. Kemp turned on his heel and walked away, making Kristen's heart drop after the high of ruining Vannaham, but Josh said something.

"I don't even know what to say. This can't keep happening. You can't destroy everybody who gets in your way. And we can't keep protecting you."

"None of us are asking for protection." Alicia said. "You're supposed to be my boyfriend, not my bodyguard. But right now, you're telling me you don't want to be one and failing at being the other pretty immaculately. I don't know what to say either."

Josh just shook his head looking done with her and he too walked away.

Knowing that her friend deeply regretted what she had just said, Kristen grabbed her hand and walked them back to their seats. People looked at them as they sat down, some grinning at the entertainment, some scared of them, some of them shocked.

It was more often a curse than a blessing that they were popular these days.

''

Massie contemplated whether she should sit next to Derrick in French as she walked into Madame Munier's classroom.

It seemed that he had made the decision for them both. His books were in a stack on the seat next to him and he didn't look her way.

Massie, deciding on a whim, strode over to Derrick's table, picked up his books, placed them on the table and sat down. As she expected, he didn't say anything. Madame Munier turned off the lights and started up a film about a group French choir boys growing up in an orphanage or something.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she looked at him.

"Isn't the silent treatment stunt getting kind of old?" She asked.

He didn't answer.

"I mean it's a very effective tactic in the 3rd grade," she continued, "but I don't think it's gonna get you very far with me."

His gaze never even left the TV.

She sighed and shut up for a whole ten minutes.

"It's just… It's sort of ridiculous if you think about it. I know you hear me. And see me. As I recall, you haven't suffered any short-term memory loss and my tongue was in your mouth less than 24 hours ago so I know you're aware of my existence."

No answer.

Thinking fast, she reached into his lap and put her hand against his crotch and rubbed.

That got a reaction. His eyes didn't widen or anything, but his breathing picked up a little. He reached down, grabbed her hand a little too roughly for her taste and put it back in her own lap. Massie smirked at the tenseness in his neck.

She leaned in and brought her red lips to his ear.

"Listen, you may not agree with how I do things or why I do them, but you're the one who wanted to be with me. This is who I am. I do stupid things. I take risks I probably shouldn't take. I took one when I decided to do this again with you. I do trust you. I think you're the smartest guy I know and Jesus Christ, Der, I would do _anything_ for you but the one thing you're asking me for. Because it's not just my life at stake. I can't give up Sam. Not now. Not when we're close. Please. Talk to the boys for me. Don't be mad anymore. We need you on our side. _By_ our side."

She brought her lips to just under his ear at the side of his neck, left a soft kiss, and sat back normally in her seat. When she did, she noticed that he was gripping the table harder than was necessary.

_Mission accomplished._ She thought triumphantly.

That was easy. An idea popped into her head.

Derrick was a boy, and one who hadn't had a lot of female contact in the past months. Unlike almost all of his other girlfriends, she was a virgin and he respected that, but when he kissed her and things got heavy she could feel his frustration at not being able to go the extra mile and find release in her body. He was obviously not used to being told no. They hadn't been going out that long so she didn't mind making him wait, but now watching him, she felt pity.

Maybe what she needed to do was give him a little more. Maybe that's what they all needed to do.

''

"Sex." Massie said plainly.

The girls looked at her with the most astonishment she'd ever seen them give one of her ideas. They were standing inside the entrance Hall waiting for Isaac who had called to say he was going to be a little late.

"So let me get this straight." Dylan said as if she were translating Latin Scripture. "You want us to have sex with them so that they can forgive us."

"Nawt exactly. You don't need to actually have sex. Unless you want to. Just give them a little… encouragement into getting over our decision to go ahead with my Sweet."

"Encouragement." Kristen said blankly.

"Good job, by the way. I heard how you and Leesh tore Vannahan a new asshole. The man had it coming." Massie smiled at Kristen.

"I agree with the Vannahan thing." Claire replied turning to Kristen then back to Massie. "However can we get back to the part where Massie thinks that we should have sex with the boys so that they'll forgive us?"

"For the last time. Not. Sex. Just something in the sexual nature. A little nudge in the right direction."

Seeing their jaws drop once again, she rolled her eyes.

"Okay Mother Theresas, I've seen you pounce on all your little boyfriends before them. Now I don't know what you did behind closed doors, but it shouldn't be that hard for you now. They're hot anyway."

"What makes you so sure this'll work?" Alicia asked crossing her arms. "Who's to say they won't be offended by the fact that we're seducing them to get what we want?"

Massie blinked. "Leesh, what planet are you from? These are teenage boys. They are not going to pick pride over your body. I gave Derrick a slight brush of my hand and a kiss on the neck today and he was ready to bolt out of the classroom. These relationships might be new, but our familiarity with them isn't. We know these guys. It really isn't moving that fast if you add the months they spent pining after us."

"Well when you say it like that…" Kristen shrugged.

"But what if things get carried away and one of us does end up having sex?" Dylan asked.

"Then… use protection and make sure you think it's right I guess." Massie shrugged. "I won't judge you for what you go ahead and do."

Claire sighed like her mom just told her to do her chores which shocked everyone. They thought innocent Claire would be having a panic attack.

"Well I guess Isaac should drop me off at Cam's then. I'll do my part."

Kristen whistled. "Look at Claire, all sexy and sure of herself. She's a woman now."

The PC giggled.

Claire rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Shut up. I was told today that there are going to be bids on my man Saturday night, so now I feel sort of obligated to remind him why he's with me."

"Because you manipulate him with sex?" Dylan asked seriously, but her eyes told that she was only joking.

Claire chuckled. "I hate you." She playfully shoved her.

"How are we going to do this? Even if Isaac drops every one of us off at each of their houses question free, what if they're not at their houses? What if they are, but their parents are there? Ugh." Kristen shuddered at the idea of seducing Kemp with his parents nearby.

"Nobody's home at my house right now. And they won't be back for hours." Alicia told them. "And I have tons of space for privacy. 7 guest bedrooms, remember? So we just make them come to us."

"And just how do we do that? They hate us right now." Kristen questioned.

Dylan gave Massie a look that said 'Shall you take this one or shall I?' Massie smiled as a go-ahead.

"Easy." Dylan smiled scarily. "We lie."

**Btw, the thing with Kristen outing her teacher in class for fooling around with a graduate after he took her phone away happened at an actual high school in one of the neighboring towns near my high school a few years ago. I wanted to incorporate that into my story. I found it hilarious. And also, I think it's safe to say that many girls can admit to being a little "nicer" to their boyfriend in order to get them to forgive you.**

**Anyways… REVIEW! WRITE ME A SENTENCE. OR EVEN A LETTER OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE STORY. I LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS. IT MAKES ME HAPPY. =D**


	18. Chapter 18

***I do not own the Clique Series.***

**Hiiiii! I really wanted to post this up sooner, but I had to keep editing things out. On top of that, I'm just finishing up college apps. (So nerve-wracking) Anyway, there is just a teensy bit of sexual content in this chapter. All of it is implied, as opposed to being described in detail. I loved the reviews. I love my readers. Thanks for putting up with my terrible updating record. Enjoy! XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Chapter 18

"So listen up, ladies," Massie addressed the PC while they stood in Alicia's bedroom. "It's 3:45. The guys are on their way already because my curfews at seven. I've gotta make this quick."

"Wait the guys are on their way?" Dylan asked with wide eyes. "How'd you get them to come here so fast? And when?"

"I told them it was an emergency. And to your second question… in the car with my phone discreetly hidden from view." She answered.

"Emergency?" Claire asked. "_**Massie**_, they're probably freaking out right now! They're going to be so mad once they find out that we lied to get them here!"

Alicia shrugged in resign. "They're already mad. This is just one more thing we're going to have to apologize for."

"Umm," Kristen narrowed her multicolored eyes. "Who's to say that they don't just storm out of here even more pissed off than they were before they got here?"

"Another upside to the Rivera estate. It's gated. We close the gate and keep them inside." Massie said easily.

"Are you insane?" Claire asked incredulously. "You've got to be out of your mind if you think this is gonna work."

Alicia and Dylan just laughed at the good idea and sent her appreciative looks.

"No, Kuh-laire. I don't think anything. I know. It _is_ gonna work." Massie replied.

"And if it doesn't?" Claire rose an eyebrow.

"Then I guess I'll owe each of you a shopping spree and a new boyfriend."

Claire watched her. The red lipstick Massie still wore from earlier today would make everything she'd say look ten times sexier which Claire noticed. Maybe she was right. There was a very slim chance that Derrick would keep turning her away if she looked like _that_. And if Derrick stayed, most likely the other guys wouldn't leave him behind. This could very well work.

Instantly, Claire perked up. "Who's got mascara? I should probably look hot for this."

Alicia whooped at Claire's agreement to the plan and went to fetch her makeup bag. Kristen still looked a little unsure, but began unbraiding her hair and letting it down into beachy waves knowing that Kemp loved it that way. She agreed wholeheartedly with Claire. If this was going to happen, she may as well look good during the fact.

After ten minutes of hair fluffing, primping, and mascara applying, the bell sounded. The PC jumped and looked at each other. The bell rang again only seconds later and they could hear a frantic pounding on the door. The guys appeared to really have bought Massie's fib that there was an emergency. The PC followed Alicia down the stairs and stood behind her as she opened the door. The boys were standing there with ah-dorable looks on their faces. The worry couldn't be hidden even if they wanted it to.

"What's going on?" Josh asked hurriedly, a little out of breath.

"Come inside." Alicia stepped out of the way gesturing for them to step into the doorway. Immediately, the boys froze and assessed their girlfriends. Not a hair looked out of place. No one looked hurt or even upset. They tensed. Slyly, Kristen typed a code into a security box on the wall and the gates began closing at the end of the driveway, but neither boy noticed.

"What's going on?" Chris asked repeating Josh's question.

"Let's talk." Dylan answered.

Without a hitch, the boys' faces turned from looking concerned to looking enraged. The yelling started.

"Are you _freaking_ kidding me-"

"Don't tell me you dragged us here t-"

"- fucking crazy! Emergency? Really? You couldn't have-"

"-literally ran here terrified that something had-"

"Who does this to someone? Are you out of your-"

The PC said nothing the whole time. They let them rant and rave until they realized that the girls weren't responding and stopped. Practically in unison, they turned on their heel and made to leave. It was then that they noticed the closed gate…

Then the yelling started again.

''

"We're not coming inside there!" One of the boys shouted for what felt like the hundredth time. The PC couldn't see them. They sat on the living room couch and occasionally glanced at the wide open front door that the boys stood just outside of.

"When are you going to let us leave? Our parents will come looking for us eventually." Kemp's voice yelled.

"After you come in and talk!" Kristen yelled back.

Finally, after 20 more minutes, the boys grew cold and angrily came inside. The PC shot up out of their seats.

As soon as Dylan finished putting their coats away, Alicia came running out of the kitchen with hot cocoa on a tray and handed each of them a mug which they begrudgingly took.

"Sit." Claire said waving her hands toward the couch. They did as they were told and sat. The girls, however, refused to join them and stood there staring while the guys watched them back. The girls were all nervous, and unfortunately it showed. They waited while the guys finished their beverages and when they were done, Kristen stepped forward.

"More?" She asked. They all shook their heads in reply. Wanting to waste more time while they let their thoughts settle, each girl grabbed a mug and put it back on the tray leaving it on the table.

Finally, Derrick broached the subject at hand.

"Why are we here?" He questioned.

It took a few seconds, but someone spoke.

"You know why you're here." Massie answered.

"No." He drawled looking largely unimpressed with her answer. "I really don't. There was a choice to be made and you made it."

"A choice? So what, we're all broken up now?" Alicia asked wanting to be sure that what she was hearing was true.

Neither boy dared answer.

"She asked a question." Claire's bright eyes lasered into each of them waiting for an answer. Not one of them, not even Cam could meet her eyes.

Dylan whistled, feigning indifference to cover up her hurt. "I must say… _Bravo_. That's a record ending. This lasted, what, like three days? I told you that this would happen, Chris. And now look at you. You don't even have anything to say."

Chris' head whipped forward to look at her. His body language remained nonchalant, but his words eyes were filled with anger. "Okay, I'll bite. Here's what I have to say. I couldn't care less about what you told me_,_ Dylan_. Nothing's_ ending. You're just as much mine today as you were yesterday. And I think that it'd be best that you remember that before you decide to open your mouth again and say something you'll regret." He said bitingly.

Dylan sighed and said nothing for a few seconds. "How romantic of you to remind me." She answered in dry, sarcastic tone annoyed by his tough guy, possessive act. "And as for the rest of you? My friends are waiting and I must tell you, they're not normally this patient."

"Since when did any of you ever need someone to claim you? You're with whoever you're with. You do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it." Kemp huffed. "If you really wanted us here, you'd do whatever to make it happen."

"Oh, stop it." Kristen sighed stepping closer to him. "What are you saying? None of us wants to break up. We've been through this. If Massie throws her Sweet 16, there is no doubt in our minds that Sam will be there. **We **will be there. The **cops** will be there. You do the math. This is our chance."

Kemp looked at her with indignation. "That is not the point. There is only a chance, a very slim chance that Sam is going to be that easy for you to point out. He's proven that he's good. He manages to be right in front of us without us even knowing it. Two girls are dead, Kristen. And he knows who you are. We don't know who he is. And you want to throw a party knowing that? Do you see the absurdity of your idea?"

"We're hoping to get him at the auction but if we don't, we'll need another shot. We'll need as many shots as possible. If not, it's the time and place of his choosing. This, at least, is scheduled. We're ready. We're alert." Massie told him. "Come tomorrow night, whether you like it or not, my invitations are scheduled to be sent out. I'm sorry. _We're_ sorry. You have every right to be mad at us for going through with this, but I'm hoping that it doesn't matter. Be mad. Just don't turn your backs on us now. Fight us along the way all you want, but **be** here."

She pursed her rouged lips and waited for their response. The rest of the PC looked on the verge of begging. None of them knew if they could do it alone.

Alicia glanced at Massie and then at Derrington who was watching the amber eyed girl. He was looking at her with the strangest expression. He looked beyond frustrated with her, but at the same time, the want in his eyes was undeniable. She turned to see Josh watching her with, more or less, the same feelings apparent in his eyes. The boys appeared to be struggling with their resolve to stay angry.

She felt hope stir in her and she knew it showed on her face. On all of their faces.

"Oh my _God_." Cam closed his eyes and groaned leaning back onto the couch. He knocked his head against the back of it repeatedly.

"What?" Claire asked as her head tilted in confusion.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Josh grumbled. "You! That's what. All of you. Are those pleading looks on your faces? Pleading? Come on. No. I won't. So just stop it, okay?"

"What?" Claire repeated, her eyes widening in a doll-like expression.

"That." Chris said pointing at her face. "That right there. Stop doing that."

"Waiiit…" Dylan's voice dragged out as her head tilted like Claire's had. She paused and brought her hands up as if contemplating what she should say.

After a good number of seconds she decided on,

"_What_?"

"Oh my God!" Derrick shouted. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Massie asked looking at the boys like they were crazy.

"Stop asking what!" He scowled.

"I don't get it. You're not making any sense! Why?" Kristen turned her head to the side to look at the PC who only shrugged.

"Because…" Kemp shook his head. "You're like… Satan reincarnate. You're not allowed to look like you're being genuine. Or _**sincere**_."He shuddered at the thought as if it disgusted him.

"Why not?" Claire narrowed her eyes.

"Because you're you." Cam answered. "And it shouldn't be working. I shouldn't actually be caring about a word that is coming out of your mouths right now. You're just a bunch of manipulators and it's not fair. You always get to be mad. And now we're mad and you don't get to just do that! You don't get to be forgiven that easily."

The looks on the other boys' faces showed complete agreement.

The PC looked at each other again. So now the boys were mad at them because they made it hard to be mad at them. Unbelievable.

Massie straightened her posture a little more and the girls knew that apology time was over.

"Well ladies, we tried." She said in a deliberately resigned tone to the PC. "What can you do y'know?" She shrugged then turned back to the boys. "I guess we should let you go now. The security code for the gate is 11- 01-02-49." She gestured towards the door. "See you around then."

The boys stood up, but didn't move, not trusting her surrender.

"Go." Dylan nudged looking unperturbed, but laughing on the inside. This was_ so_ working. She had been unsure before, but now she had no doubts. The boys were caving.

They started to move, when Massie spoke again.

"Ladies, it's been a long day. Let's all go upstairs and chill while Alicia's parents are gone for the next few hours. You know what, Leesh? I think I could use a nap. I'll be in one of your guest bedrooms. All lonely and by myself with no company. And… _frustrated_. With absolutely _**nothing**_ to do for the next few hours and no one to do it with. I trust you girls will do the same." The hidden meanings in her statements were actually not hidden at all. Her face told the boys, especially Derrington, all they needed to know.

The PC smiled widely at her. They responded affirmatively together. They sent the boys, who had stopped again to watch them, one last significant look and headed up the stairs.

Josh's finger paused from pressing in the code to the gate.

Cam, whose coat was zipped up ready to go, watched Claire bite her lip and sashay up the stairs. A spare bedroom and a few unsupervised hours…

"Oh my _God_." He groaned even louder. The other guys just stood there and stared at the stairs that the girls had just ascended.

"Fuck it." Kemp said dropping his coat on the ground and running up the stairs.

''

Just over two hours later, the doors to one of the bedrooms opened and Derrick Harrington stepped out of it looking a very happy man. Massie followed after him, noticeably having rubbed off most of the red lipstick that previously, had been so carefully applied. There were still traces of it all across Derrick's torso, but luckily no one would see that with his shirt on.

"Your parents are really going all out, huh?" Derrick asked her. "A 7 o'clock curfew? That's crazy. My mom at least gave me until eight." He leaned into her. "That's an hour earlier you get to leave me."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. But the guys'll entertain you while I'm gone. You'll live."

"Are you seriously implying that I'm staying here after you leave? Block, there are four couples in this house, all of whom are otherwise occupied at the moment. I think they're entertaining each other all on their own."

Massie grimaced. "Oooh. Forgot about that. So come with me then. Isaac will be here in five. We can go over to my house and hang out for at least a little while longer and then he could take you home."

"You sure?" Derrick asked skeptically. "I've always gotten the impression that Isaac doesn't like me very much. I don't even know why."

Massie smiled apologetically. "Isaac's like a second dad to me except closer because he gets to overhear all of my problems sitting at the front of the Range Rover. He was there for me when we broke up... All five times."

She watched the comprehension dawn on his face.

"He doesn't really know you, but he what he does know isn't pleasant. Once you two get to talking you'll be fine. Isaac and you have a shockingly similar sense of humor. Come on. Let's go downstairs." She grabbed his hand, but he stopped her.

"Aren't you going to say bye to everyone?"

Massie gave him a look that said that she thought that it was a dumb idea, but did it anyway.

"Everyone! Sorry to interrupt!" She shouted in the direction of the other doors. "Me and Derrick are leaving now! This was fun! See ya tomorrow!"

"Wait!" Alicia's voice called out. They heard a thump and a groan. The door opened a minute later and Alicia' head popped out. She was clearly wearing Josh's shirt, but neither Massie nor Derrick commented on it.

"You're leaving?" Alicia asked. Her face was flushed, her hair knotted, and her already bee-stung lips were abnormally swollen, but it was pretty much physically impossible for Alicia to look bad which Massie noted internally with envy.

"Leesh, my curfews at seven, remember? I gotta go, but we'll all do a PC video chat later tonight, kay?"

"Kay. I'll tell the other girls." Josh's muffled voice was heard before he, too, appeared in the doorway, his head popping out the door above Alicia's.

"Der, my man. Catch you tomorrow?" He held out his fist leaning out some more exposing his bare chest.

He grinned at Derrick oddly. Or at least it was odd to Massie.

Derrick looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a knowing congratulations grin back and bumped his fist. Massie and Alicia exchanged looks of mild annoyance at their cat-who-ate-the-canary smiles but said nothing.

"That reminds me." Derrick said pointing a finger at Alicia. "You might want to get your maid to change the sheets in the room we were in."

Massie's eyes flashed in embarrassment and glared at Derrick who looked pleased with Josh's chuckle. Alicia only whispered an 'ew' before nodding her head.

"_Alright then_." She bit out in aggravation at Derrick's childish glee. "We gotta go. It's 6:45. Isaac's waiting. See you guys."

"Bye." The two responded together before Josh pulled Alicia forcefully back in the room and shut the door.

Derrick looked straight ahead as he walked Massie to the Range Rover with his arm around her, but she noticed his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed and knew he was nervous.

Usually, Isaac came around and opened the door for Massie but in the winter, she insisted he stay in the car instead of ruining his shoes in the snow. When they got inside, Isaac turned to look at her.

"Miss Block, how do you do?" He smiled tightly, his eyes locked on Derrick as he got in the car with her.

"Excellent, Isaac." She beamed at him. "This is Derrick. I don't think you've officially met."

"I've heard a lot about you." Derrick smiled his most charming smile and held his hand out. "Block talks about you all the time. You're definitely one of her most favorite people on this planet."

Isaac took his hand into a firm grip, a little _too_ firm, and shook. "As she is one of mine. I've heard a lot about you as well." He turned around hiding his expression from them and put the car into drive before pulling out. "You've known each other long, no?" He said though he already knew the answer.

"Well considering that we don't have that many years to our name I'd say so. Yeah. For five years now." Derrick answered easily. Still, Massie knew he was faking his ease by the tight grip he had on her hand. He probably didn't even notice he was doing it.

"Do you mind if I ask why you call her Block? Do you dislike the name Massie?"

Derrick shifted in his seat. "Um...Well no. There's nothing wrong with Massie. It's a pretty name and all I just…" He paused as if considering whether or not he should tell him the story. He appeared to okay the idea and continued, "On the night I met her, I remembered people telling me who she was as she walked around the room and I remember that feeling that I needed to say something to stand out. I didn't want to be just anybody else to her. I knew I had to catch her attention which, you know, is not that easy to do. Anyway, I'm not too clever with nicknames so I just called her Block." He smiled, his brown eyes crinkling as they got lost in the memory of the night they met. "I remember that when I did, she just stopped and looked at me when she'd realized what I'd called her and I just knew I had her. Personally, I think it fits her."

"Hm." Was all Isaac could reply.

Massie, in the meantime, wanted to attack his mouth. _I didn't want to be just anybody else to her_. She'd never heard that story from Derrick's point of view. She never actually knew why he'd chosen to use her surname to address her. She knew that Isaac picked up on the shy, sentimental tone that Derrick's voice took on, but he wasn't giving up on his dislike for Derrick that easily. In the past, Isaac had been the one to witness her looking a complete mess every time they called it quits. He had watched her heart break over and over again and because of it, he had a right to hate Derrick. She sure as hell did for a long period of time.

Thinking Isaac's response to be disapproving, Derrick continued. "Well I just mean that Block is sharp. It's quick. It's less forgettable than Massie. Not that the name Massie is forgettable. Like I said, it's pretty. It's just not-"

"What Derrick means is that he thinks I'm too badass for a name like Massie." Massie cut in smirking at his babbling. Derrick hadn't even acted this nervous when he had met her father. She liked that he realized how important Isaac was to her. Landon never had. In fact, Landon had always ignored Isaac and once admitted to feeling uncomfortable that Massie spoke so easily about private things around him.

"Is that so?" Isaac asked watching them in the mirror.

"Well I wouldn't word it that way," Derrick blushed, "but yeah."

Massie, who hadn't seen him blush in years, only laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

''

At the Rivera estate, eventually the four couples made their way out of the rooms and back downstairs to the living room. Not surprisingly, Kemp and Kristen were the last ones out. Alicia, who had been in the bathroom fixing her hair, returned to find everyone there.

The girls looked bored, which she suspected they were faking considering that they all had major gossip points to earn, but she said nothing. When they saw her, she gave them the female's universal look for, 'We'll talk later." None of the girls even blinked an eye at her, but Alicia knew they picked up her message.

The guys on the other hand looked immensely pleased, which goaded her to ask,

"I take it that we're forgiven?"

The guys gave varying forms of the answer 'yes', but Chris said, "I think I just might need a little more convincing."

This made Dylan laugh audibly. "Shut up."

"Mass and Derrick left?" Claire asked. "I wish she'd have told me. I would've gotten a ride back with her."

"You were busy." Alicia shrugged. "You can get a ride from one of the drivers."

"Nah, that's alright. You can come with me. Harris'll take you home." Cam said.

Just then, the phone rang.

"Guys… shhhh." Alicia hushed. "It's probably my parents. I'm not supposed to have company over without telling them anymore."

She picked answered it and spoke.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" A voice asked back to her.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Yes. Who is this?" She froze. Someone was recording her voice and playing it back to her. Immediately she knew who it was. Her eyes flickered to the caller ID: BLOCKED NUMBER.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you doing this?"

She hung up.

Before any of her friends could open their mouths, the phone rang again. She picked it up quickly and immediately made the rage she was feeling inside apparent in her voice.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"I don't care what me and my friends did to you. Stop it. This isn't funny!"

Suddenly she heard a low scratchy noise that she soon realized was a laugh.

"I think it's _very_ funny, Alicia."

At the sound of the low, sinister voice saying her name, every hair on her body stood on end and she dropped the phone receiver. Josh rushed to pick it up and immediately put it to his ear.

"Hey, freak?" He taunted angrily. "You think I don't realize what you are? That you're a coward? That's the reason why you go after girls, isn't it? I would tear your punk ass apart before you could even blink and you better pray that I don't get the chance to. _I swear to God_, touch my girlfriend or one of our friends and you won't be the only murderer in town. That's a fucking promise."

Then he heard it. A laugh right before the sound of the dial tone as SAM hung up.

The room was silent as it always was after an encounter with him.

Alicia tried to keep her composure, but her heart was pounding too hard. She'd heard his voice. He knew she was home. Just like he knew everything. The boys were right. There was no way they could beat him.

"I'm next." Kristen whispered, breaking the silence.

"What?" Kemp asked looking at her in alarm.

"I'm next. First Claire, then Massie, then Dylan, now Alicia… I'm next. He's contacted all but me. He's going to try to. And soon." She said sounding very sure of herself. The group grew visibly calmer when she explained what she meant by, "next".

"You don't know that." Kemp said halfheartedly. It was obvious that he didn't even believe himself.

"Maybe not. But this guy doesn't do things in halves. This is personal for him. I have to be next."

Everyone let that thought sink in for a few moments before Dylan said something.

"Leesh, are you alright?"

Pause.

"No," was all the Spanish beauty could reply. She looked ready to be anywhere but where she was standing.

She would be home alone until the next morning.

"Do you want to sleep over at my place tonight?" The red head asked softly.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Yeah I do."

''

Massie sat on her living room couch eating her secret obsession, chocolate-covered pretzels while watching Black Swan. She cringed at the gruesome scene and listened absentmindedly to the comforting sounds of her father typing away in his study on his office laptop and her mother jabbering away on the phone in the dining room. Bean was napping in her lap and she stoked her fur lovingly.

Derrick had left with Isaac a half hour ago, and she was glad to have had some normal boyfriend/girlfriend alone time with him. Having her parents at home all the time now only added to her happiness. There wasn't anything worse than being in this empty mansion by herself in the nighttime when there were always weird noises echoing around. There was a sense of security that she'd been missing for some time now.

She felt that nothing, not even SAM could touch her. And it felt good.

During her reign as alpha, Massie had made many decisions that she hadn't wanted to make. She'd done a lot of things that she hadn't wanted to do. But they had to be done. She had to establish authority every once in a while.

She wasn't as evil as Olivia Ryan's rumors made her out to be. She wanted to be loved as much as she was feared. In many ways, her peers did love her. They complimented her and laughed at her jokes and smiled when she smiled. But she wasn't stupid enough not to be aware of the underlying wish to see her fall from grace. Many people had been hurt because of her and lots of people wouldn't mind seeing her get what she deserved. And maybe she did deserve them. But she didn't deserve to die. That scared her most. Who would think that it was okay if she died?

Her cell buzzed.

**From: Kristen**

'**Video Chat in 5. Sam called Alicia her house, Mass. She's staying at Dyl's 2nite.'**

Massie shot off the couch, accidently waking Bean and hurried up the stairs to her room. She turned on her Mac Air and opened up a window to video chat her friends.

In seconds, they all answered. She glanced at each separate screen. Proving what Kristen's text had said, Alicia and Dylan were on the same webcam in Dylan's room.

"Leesh, are you okay? I heard. What happened?"

Alicia took in a breath before repeating the story again. "He called my house from a Blocked number and taunted me. He kept recording what I was saying and replaying it back for me to hear. I asked him why and he was doing it and he told me that he thought it was funny. That's basically it. Josh freaked out on him and then he hung up."

Massie shuddered. "You heard his voice?"

"Yep." Alicia answered. "Just as creepy as you'd expect it to be. Kristen thinks she's next."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Kristen replied, "that I'm the only member of the PC that he has yet to terrorize personally. It only makes sense."

Massie couldn't figure out what to say to that so she said nothing.

"When is this going to be over?" Claire whispered. "We need to do something."

"There's nothing to do." Kristen replied. "If anything, he realizes that we know that he'll be at the auction. He may choose to act tomorrow night, but then again he could wait. It's a definite possibility that he'll wait until your birthday party to do something."

"That's true. And he won't give up the chance to ruin my birthday party." Massie said putting her head in her hands as she tried to think. Her shoulders grew extremely tense; completely gone was the calm she'd felt after Derrick had left. "I know he won't. He'll do something terrible. Now that everyone knows that this party is happening, we have to be 100 percent sure that anything we decide leads to a best case scenario. Nobody gets hurt. And if we fail to catch him, we need to be at least a step closer to doing so."

"The question is, can we do it?" Alicia asked. "Can we beat him?"

"We're the fucking Pretty Committee." Claire said shocking them all with her rarely used foul language. "Of course we can."

No one said anything for a bit, until Alicia decided to speak up.

"I can tell we're all just begging for a subject change." She smiled weakly. "Here's one. I'm no longer a virgin."

The girls all squealed in surprise, especially Dylan who sat right next to her, and began asking Alicia questions. The other girls admitted that they'd gone pretty far, but couldn't go through with it at the last minute. They spent the rest of the night laughing at the slightly embarrassing details that went on with each couple behind closed doors.

''

Early next morning, the PC got to the police station and informed the detectives of everything they had found out. Alicia requested that a cop car watch her house after explaining what had happened and was surprised to see how quickly both detectives had agreed.

"Also, I've called every costume store within a ten mile radius." Detective Falk told them. "We'll get a list of everyone who rented or purchased a Riddler costume during the month of October."

"As for security tonight at the auction," Moakley added," I've got two armed men at each entrance and a couple of others dispersed around the guests."

"I've spoken to my father." Dylan spoke suddenly, keeping her eyes on the ground. She chuckled bitterly. "Believe me. That's not something I do often. I had to repeat my name twice on the phone before his secretary, who had no idea who I was, handed him the phone… Anyway, he has agreed to help out. At this very moment, high-quality cameras are being set up in every angle at the Skylight Banquet Hall. No blind spots. There will be a control room where you or your men can watch all night for anything suspicious."

Everyone looked at her in shock. The PC, because she had willingly called her father, a man whom she had a terrible relationship with, and the detectives, because a 16 year old girl had just passively told them that she'd had thousands of dollars in surveillance ordered through one phone call.

"Well," Moakley cleared his throat and straightened his tie, "that was very generous of him. You may thank your father for his assistance, Miss Marvil."

"I could tell you that I will, but I'd be lying. I think I've spoken with him enough to last me the rest of the year." Dylan sniffed toying with the diamond pendant around her pale neck.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Falk spoke up.

"Is there anything else we need to know?"

Claire sent Massie a look urging her to come forth with one major detail. Massie hesitated for a moment while trying to think of a good way to tell them, knowing that they wouldn't be pleased.

"Umm, well, we've been talking about this and I know that you're both ready for him to be at the auction tonight, but what if he isn't?"

Both agents looked at her with suspicion.

"Do you know something we don't?" Falk asked.

"No. I'm just saying that if he's patient, he could wait for another opportunity, one with a lot more sting."

"Like what, Massie. Spit it out." Moakley replied with aggravation.

"My Sweet Sixteen." Massie answered.

"Your Sweet Sixteen." He said flatly. "I wasn't aware you were having one. Both Miss Marvil and Miss Gregory have had a birthday since this incident began, am I correct?" The two girls nodded. "No party for you both? Why?"

"They didn't want one." Massie answered.

"And you do? Knowing what could happen…. you do?" Falk wondered.

"Yes." She lied. "I want one."

"Have you spoken to your parents? I think they'd agree with me when I say that this is not a particularly good idea."

"I," Massie felt frustration swirl through her, "I _**know**_. I know it's not a good idea. Believe me, Derrick and the other boys let us know what they thought about this pretty clearly. But trust me. I'm trying to think like SAM would, like SAM does. Tonight, he could pass up. But on my birthday? He can't and won't resist. I'm just informing you so that you're prepared."

Moakley took out a notepad and scribbled something down. "When is your birthday?"

"A little less than three weeks. February 1st." She answered.

He continued to write. When he stopped and shut his book, he looked at them.

"Is that all?" Claire asked.

"One more thing… Are you throwing this party because you really want to?" He questioned, watching her intensely. "Because if you're only doing this because you know that he'll be there and you really want to catch him then here's my advice. Don't."

Massie stared at Detective Moakley, taking in his well-cut blonde hair and his hard green eyes. He seemed to see right through her sometimes and it unnerved her. As long as she denied it though, he couldn't prove anything.

"No." She lied through her teeth. "You got it right the first time. I'm a sentimental kind of girl and a sixteenth birthday is supposed to be my rite of passage. It's supposed to be the best night of my teenage life, detective." She held her hand out to be shaken and locked eyes with him. "Can you ensure that it will be?"

He glanced at her hand, but didn't take it. "And how would I do that?"

She smirked and pulled her hand away, knowing that he wouldn't take it. "Easy. You _catch_ him."

She nodded to the PC, who turned around and started to walk out. Before following them, she turned back.

"Those are my best friends, detectives. I would do anything for them. If I don't do something, he will. I need you to fully comprehend what I am telling you right now. On February 1st, he'll come for me. And I'll be ready. Don't worry about my reasoning. Just make sure you are too."

With that, she walked out behind them.

''

In the Range Rover, on the way to meet up with Merri-Lee's stylist to pick out dresses for the night, Claire's cell rang. The number was one she didn't know, but it wasn't blocked either. The PC froze at the wary look on her face.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Claire Lyons?" A male voice asked. She tensed up.

"Who is this?" She asked harshly.

The girls waited with bated breath.

Isaac, from the front seat turned to look at them at a red light.

"A.J. Whitman." He answered.

Claire breathed an audible sigh of relief. 'A.J.', she mouthed soundlessly to the other girls who calmed down immediately. Isaac, seeing the tension cease turned his attention back to the road.

"How did you get my number?" She demanded to know.

He snorted. "Thank you. I'm doing well and you? ... Wow, I can't believe I had you pegged as the sweetest of the bunch."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Why does it matter? I don't see what the problem is. I told you and your people that I'd be in touch."

The playful tone in his voice annoyed her to the nth degree.

"It matters because the privacy of me and my friends has been invaded enough. The problem isn't that you have my number; it's that I wasn't the one to give it to you. Now I'll ask you again. How did you get it?"

"I asked some kid who goes to your school."

"Name?"

"Wes Turner."

Claire's blonde eyebrow rose. Wes was her first high school boyfriend, the guy who came directly after Cam. He was in their grade, and on the wrestling team. Early in their freshman year, they dated for about four months before she ended it. He was overly jealous, having started many fights with random guys that she came in contact with for no reason at all. He sent her several relationship requests on Facebook afterward that she'd ignored. A couple of weeks later, she heard he was hooking up with Skye, the queen of sloppy seconds.

She was fine with it.

"Are you still there?" He asked. She realized that she hadn't said anything for a while.

"Yeah. I'm here. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Are the others there?"

"Yeah. We're all in the car."

"Where are you headed?"

"Dylan's house. For a fitting. We need gowns to wear for tonight at the Bachelor's Auction."

"Well when you're done, can you all stop by my house later? We need to talk."

Claire paused and looked at the girls who all had their eyes on her.

"I have an even better idea. Come by. There's no time like the present."

"I don't even know where she lives."

"I'll give you the address."

"I don't have a car."

"I'll send a driver."

He said nothing for a few seconds. "You seem really eager to see me. Is this part of your plan to seduce me?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yes." Claire replied flippantly.

She could tell she surprised him when he said nothing. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm kidding."

"I knew that."

"Sure you did. Be ready. Isaac will come by to pick you up in," She glanced at Isaac in the front seat expectantly. He put up two fingers and then five: twenty-five, "…twenty-five minutes."

"You sure are thorough, Claire Lyons."

"I try." Then, without a goodbye, she hung up.

Saving the number into her phone, she explained to them what he'd told her.

"He didn't say what he had to tell us though?" Dylan asked.

"No. But we'll find out soon enough." She responded just as the car pulled up to the Marvil Estate.

Inside the mansion, they followed Dylan to her mother's wardrobe room. The Merri-Lee Marvil wardrobe room actually used to be the ballroom to the Victorian style home. It now consisted of 130 racks of clothing, all categorized from Red-Carpet-Reject gowns to Yet-To-Be-Worn Haute-Couture.

As they stepped inside, they were greeted by Kimber, Merri-Lee's stylist. The tall blue-eyed brunette squealed when she saw them all enter.

"Right on time, Dylan. Hey Girls!"

She leaned in and gave them a peck on both cheeks. She assessed their outfits from head to toe. She noted Kristen's salt and pepper cashmere Club Monaco sweater, Massie's Missoni oversized shrug, Claire's thigh high borrowed black Chanel boots, Alicia's Bogner skinny ski pants, and Dylan's leopard faux fur Alexander Wang coat with appreciation.

"When you called me, I was so excited!" She told Dylan cheerfully. "I told your mother and she was thrilled. She told me that it'd been so long since you and your friends had gone on one of your shopping expeditions that she was starting to get worried. Now… stand farther back." She motioned for them to step away. "I want to get a really good look at all of you before I hand you over to my team."

Sighing happily, she smiled again. "So adorable. I can't wait to get started. I-"

"Um, one more thing Kimber." Dylan interrupted. "I know I should've brought this up sooner, but do you have any tuxes in your possession right now? I have a friend coming over in a few and I want him to look every bit the Westchester golden boy. This is sort of his debut appearance after leaving town for a few years. I want every girl in the room tonight, cougars included, to wonder who he is. Can you do it?"

Kimber rose both eyebrows at the challenge. "Is that a question?" She smirked. "I just need to know, on a scale of one to ten, minor cleanup being one and extreme makeover being ten, what are we talking here?"

The girls laughed. It was Alicia who decided to answer.

"A little bit of both, but more so towards the lesser. The kid has an air about him. He's cute if a little on the mysterious side. Dirty blonde, blue eyes, tall, and a large build. He spent some time in boot camp and it shows. He's got a ramrod straight posture when he cares to stand, clean and short fingernails, hair cut close to the scalp, no facial hair, and a nice enough set of teeth."

"These all sound like upsides to me," The woman told her, "Downsides?"

"He's stubborn, defensive, insolent, and he walks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders."

"Does he know what he's coming here for?"

"No."

"Good. I like a little defiance during the makeover process. It makes it all the more fun to break them."

Massie was startled by how immediately she was taken by Kimber. She found most people mildly entertaining when first meeting them, but she rarely acknowledged any instantaneous interest in someone. She could easily see why Merri-Lee hired her. She watched as Dylan approached the stylist and shook her hand in thanks.

Thirty-five minutes later, A.J. was escorted into the wardrobe by Wei, the housekeeper. As he walked in, his eyes took in everything around him, from the marble floors to the enormous windows to the women standing in front of him. Dylan remembered being in his normal sized one family house and realized how different they must have grown up.

"What is this?" He asked nodding his head towards Kristen who was holding up six different tuxes, three in each hand, on hangers.

"These are your options for what you will be wearing tonight." Kimber answered, stepping forward. Like she had done with the girls, she gave him a double peck on his cheeks. "Nice to meet you A.J. My name is Kimber and I will be your stylist for the night." Her eyes were downcast as she observed him.

A.J.'s eyes flashed in an unreadable expression.

"I thank you for the offer, but I regret to inform you that I will not be attending the auction tonight." He said in an oddly polite voice.

"The reason for that being…?" Dylan asked him.

"I'd simply prefer not to."

The girls blinked at him in response.

Kimber smoothed out her pleated wool Diane von Furstenberg skirt and cleared her throat. "Well, I see that some things need to be sorted out. In the mean time, I will go help my team pick out your gown selections." She picked up a clipboard she had placed on a table and walked away. On it, the PC had each written their measurements and style preferences down to help her pick out the best choices.

When she was gone, A.J. spoke first.

"It appears we've got a lot to talk about. I never agreed to any Westchester social outings, but you've got tuxes picked out for me?"

"You agreed to help us." Dylan answered. "In fact, you offered. This comes with the territory."

"I have been helping you. I have information."

The girls perked up at the sound of that, but held off on firing their questions.

"We need you to be at the auction tonight." The red head replied continuing to speak for the group.

"Why?"

Massie walked up to him. "That's not important at the moment. Right now, you need to cooperate with Kimber and her team and allow them to start getting you spiffed up for tonight," She grabbed the lapels of his unzipped hoodie as she said this and brought him closer. "You'll know what you want to know soon enough."

His hard blue eyes looked down at their proximity and her hands on him. "You're awfully comfortable with someone you just met."

"Only because I'm awfully confident that you're not a bad guy. You're a good boy." She smiled patronizingly at him as if she were speaking to Bean. "And _good boys_," she tapped his nose and stepped away before he got any ideas, "do as they're told. So you're going tonight."

"And if I do, what do I get?" He asked.

Kristen laughed. "Oh believe me. Something that not even you, great guy that you are, deserves." She answered cryptically.

A.J. said nothing, but he seemed pleased with the answer as if he knew what she was really telling him. He was obviously expecting a girl. He was not, however, expecting the kind of girl that they were thinking of. Lisette would be the shock of a lifetime.

"Do we have a deal?"

"We do."

''

Many hours later, after finding the perfect gowns, deciding on hair and makeup choices, and getting their bodies waxed down baby smooth, the girls were finally getting dressed. A.J., with his hair styled and a tux lent to him, had left after two hours of being there.

They'd agreed to come by to pick him up when the time was ready and in the car, he'd tell them what he knew.

The boys, whom they had not spoken to all day, were also getting ready, but they'd spent the day together to play Xbox Live. Apparently, a new videogame was out, making them physically incapable of leaving their houses until absolutely necessary. Instead of hounding them to make sure that they were indeed getting ready, the girls let them have their fun. Tonight, something bad could happen. They were allowed to enjoy the new day while they could. The girls kept their thoughts off SAM by submerging themselves into racks of clothing, hair, and makeup.

At 7:30 they were ready.

Kristen looked a vision in a champagne colored Monique Lhuillier satin dress. It had a tight cinched corset top designed in a series of swan-like patterns and fell loose at the bottom. Her hair was down in full, bouncy blonde curls with one side held up by a silver Chanel hair clip. On her ears wear large diamond studs and she wore a large crystal cocktail ring. Her eye makeup was smoky and black, effectively making her look mysterious and sexy.

Alicia wore a crisp skin-tight strapless red-orange dress from the Calvin Klein Collection. Her tanned shoulders looked golden, accentuated by a golden pendant around her neck and the matching earrings she wore. Her hair was straight and slicked up into a severe high ponytail which brought more attention to her makeup, a bronze look with thick black lashes bringing out the tiny specks of light brown in her eyes.

Dylan decided on a baby pink Giambattista Valli dress. The dress, a halter style, cut a deep V into her full breasts. Past her waist, the dress fell loosely in a light fabric that flowed as she walked. Her hair, like Kristen's, was in full, bouncy curls, but hers was far longer and a lot more wild. Her makeup was light, a pale pink, and she looked fairy-like, with wide green enchantress eyes and cupids bow lips.

Claire wore a navy blue Alberta Ferretti dress. The dress had long lace sleeves that led to an intricate pattern across her chest. Her dress was risky, cutting even lower than that of Dylan's in the front and it was completely backless. Her pale blonde hair put in low chignon that knotted at the base of her neck held together by a pretty blue Swarovski hair clip. On her ears were sapphire hoops. Her bottom eyelids were traced with silver liner making her blue eyes look even icier.

Massie was in a metallic black Prada dress. At first glance, it looked simple but when she turned and it hit the light the right way, it glittered beautifully. It was a scoop neck with thin spaghetti straps and when she walked, a deep slit that ran all the way up to her thigh was revealed. A floral diamond bracelet adorned her right arm, and on her ears were diamond chandelier earrings. Her hair was in shiny chestnut waves and her eyes were winged expertly with black liquid liner. Her lips were blood red.

All in all, the girls looked amazing and they knew it. After weeks of planning, the night was finally here and they still had no clue what to expect. Alicia glanced nervously at her five inch Balenciaga heels and wondered what she would do if the time came where she would need to run for her life. She looked around at her four best friends and wanted to pull them into tight hugs. She didn't, not wanting to seem like the melodramatic one. Watching their faces, none of them even appeared to be having the same fear that she was.

Little did she know that the same thing was going on in the minds of the other girls. Claire stared at her newly done manicure and fought the urge to start chewing away at it. Dylan kept glancing at the clock and every minute closer to the auction made her heart sink a little lower in her stomach. Kristen had to keep reminding herself to breathe which wasn't easy with the corset dress she was wearing and Massie was staring at herself in the mirror. To the group, she appeared to be just checking her makeup, but she was actually watching them behind her in the reflection.

Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast and she hated the feeling. Distantly, she remembered the other day when she was listening to Kristen's chattering about psychological warfare and anxiety.

Anxiety. An irrational fear of the unknown. At this point, everything was unknown and she was scared shitless. So if she were to guess, then yes, she was suffering from anxiety. She wondered if she should take an Ambien to calm herself down.

Before she could contemplate it any longer, the bell rang.

"That's Isaac." Dylan told them. "Let's go."

They followed each other in a line down the stairs, their heels clicking loudly. Reaching the door, they got into their fashionable coats and left the house.

**End_-_-_-_-_-_-**

**Next chapter is the auction! Woooo! I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. I am in the annual PowderPuff football game at my school on Tuesday so I can't tomorrow or the day after. For those who don't know what that is, it's a football game with junior girls versus senior girls. I'm Wide Reciever for the Seniors! Wish me luck! Also REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. Even if it's just one word. They make me happy. Also, I might just be encouraged to write a little faster if you do.**


	19. Chapter 19

*I don't own the Clique series.*

**Hello readers. I started writing a new story (which I know shouldn't be doing seeing as I haven't finished this one) but I got carried away and sort of forgot that I hadn't updated. This chapter is going to be good, filled with romance and revelations. A lot of you are trying to guess who Sam is. Mum's the word. I will not tell. We are almost done people. About six chapters left. (I think.)For now, enjoy.**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Chapter 19

Within minutes, Isaac, who drove the Hummer limo that night, had stopped by A.J.'s house. After two quick honks and a text from Claire, A.J. stepped out and got into the car. In his modern cut all black Dolce & Gabbana tux, he looked absolutely dapper. His hair was styled neatly and he smelled of citrus and spearmint.

In the car, the girls all made sure to tell him how good he looked.

Grinning, he said, "Thank you. I actually like it. But I must say," His eyes trailed down their bodies lasciviously, "not as much as I like this." The boyish smirk he was sporting lit up his whole face, making him look even more handsome.

The PC laughed and the mood quickly lifted.

"My, my Mr. Whitman," Kristen said lazily with a faint smile on her lips, though her eyes were trained out the window seemingly lost in thought. "You definitely earn points for charm. There may be hope for you yet."

"Good to hear." He said reaching into his pocket for his phone. He glanced at the time before putting it away. "So who am I escorting tonight?" He looked at each of them pointedly.

"No one." Alicia answered with a roll of her dark eyes. "This is an auction. You have to pay if you wish to have someone on your arm. That's the whole idea."

He sighed and sunk deeper into his seat. "How… boring."

"Irrelevant." Massie said, pouring herself a glass of sparkling cider to drink. She noted Isaac watching to make sure that it was, in fact, cider in the bottle she was pouring and rolled her eyes. If she survived the night without a hitch, she'd be drinking something a whole lot stronger to celebrate. "You informed us earlier that you had information. Spill."

He glanced at Isaac and said nothing.

"Isaac knows everything. Anything you have to say to us, you can say in front of him." Claire replied in response to his hesitation.

"Okay then," A.J. said sitting up. He grabbed Massie's glass of cider and helped himself to the rest of it before placing the champagne glass in the rack near the door,

"So I have this friend, well, more like an acquaintance… His name's Rich Miller. We knew each other way back, even before the trouble that eventually got me sent away ever started. So y'know, I trust the guy. I go to him and I ask him about what's been happening in Westchester, you know with the girls dying and stuff, and he tells me the names of the girls, yadda yadda… Nothing new. Nothing I don't already know." His hands moved maniacally as he talked but he looked oddly relaxed. Though you'd never know it otherwise, he seemed comfortable with being conversational.

"But he says there are these rumors, rumors that it's one of the Denwood-Ames kids. So I ask him who's spreading them and guess what he tells me? He doesn't know. Go figure. So then I ask him what he thinks and he tells me that a year and half ago his older brother, Mikey, used to go out with that girl who died, Julie." At the girls surprised faces, he smirks humorlessly. "Big fucking coincidence I know." To Claire's pointed scowl at his language and her glance at Isaac, he says, "You said that anything I could say to you, I could say in front of him, sweetheart."

"Whatever," Alicia shrugged it off, "Move on. What about Mikey?"

"Mikey supposedly had confided in his brother once that Julie wasn't who everyone thought she was. Apparently, for the past few months, she'd been involved with this guy. Nobody knew who he was, not even his name. But one night, at like 2 AM, she calls Mikey up apologizing over and over again on the phone and asks him to come pick her up. Guess what night that was? Halloween. And guess where he had to pick her up? Outside of Skye Hamilton's party, the _same_ place the first girl died."

He paused for a second as if considering whether he should continue or not which annoyed Massie.

"Go on." She demanded.

"He comes to get her, because they have history or whatever and he still cares about the girl y'know, and he finds her sobbing her eyes out. There's blood all over her face," The girls tensed. "He gets out of the car and runs over to her and asked what's happened, but she can't answer; she's crying too hard. He looks at her face and her left eye is swollen, but only a little and there's absolutely nothing else wrong with her. He asks her whose blood it is cause he realizes that it obviously ain't hers, but she keeps asking him to take her home. He tells her to get in the car and she literally begs him not to tell anyone what he saw. She even offers to give him," he glanced at Isaac in the front, "_**favors**_. Anyway, he promises not to tell and just drops her off."

"Oh my Gawd." Kristen and Dylan said at the same time.

"I know." A.J. said, all of a sudden looking uncomfortable. "There's a lot that we've been missing here."

"What I don't understand is," Massie spoke in a quiet voice, "is how this kid knew this and never told anyone. When he found out that Regina died, he should have said something."

"Don't judge Mikey, alright? She begged him. He didn't want to see her in trouble." A.J. defended.

"He didn't want to see her in trouble?" Dylan spat incredulously. "In case you forgot, the girl's dead now, A.J! She knew something. Maybe even everything. And SAM killed her because of it."

He watched her accusingly. "_You _all knew something and you kept it from the cops. Why was that okay? Imagine being in her position." He asked.

"That's completely different!" Claire exclaimed. "If what you're saying is true, then Julie knows what happened to Regina. She might've even been in on it. Something tells me she knew who we were on the day of the blizzard, the day she gave us a room on a secluded floor. If we hadn't gone downstairs for dinner who knows what might've happened?"

"This makes so much sense." Kristen spoke. "Maybe she was plotting with him to get us that night. Maybe she changed her mind about helping him and that's why she's dead. How else could he have gotten our room number?"

It was then, as they realized how lucky they were to have made it out unharmed, that they noticed that the limo had stopped.

Isaac turned around and looked at them with deep worry in his old eyes. "We're here."

''

After getting out of the limo, the girls shuffled quickly to the door of the Skylight Banquet Hall. Stopping at the door, the girls straightened themselves out. They could see people in the lobby and wanted to look presentable before being seen.

A.J., who stood next to them, was amazed at their ability to act like nothing was out of the ordinary considering the news they'd just discovered.

"Come here." Alicia whispered dragging him closer. She straightened out his tie. "By the way, whatever you just told us in the car is to be told to no one else. Are we clear?"

He looked at the others girls, who were awaiting his answer expectantly. "Yeah. We're clear."

"Good. Now let's go inside."

A.J. stood in the center of the PC. Alicia, Kristen, and Massie were on his right side and Claire and Dylan, his left. After getting their coats checked in, he was really able to glance at the girls next to him in their full attire. They really did look amazing. Their movements were so effortlessly pretty. They batted their lashes and swayed their hips without even a bit of awareness at the effect it caused. He realized that it probably came from a lot of practice that transformed into habit, but it didn't make him feel any less lucky to be walking in with them. It helped his nerves.

Entering the banquet with the girls flanking both sides, he looked at the room flooded with upper class people. He realized that they were at the top of a set of stairs designed for every new person who entered to be in full view of everyone in the room to watch. Many heads turned to gaze at them and so as not to blush by their attention, he looked at the room. He began to understand why it was called the Skylight when he noticed that the whole ceiling was made of glass. The stars of the night sky gleamed beautifully when you looked up. Crystal chandeliers hung from the glass providing light to the room.

His thoughts were cut off by Dylan, who grabbed his arm for help as she began to descend the stairs in her gown. He noticed the crowd again and many people were watching him with interest. The girls next to him were obviously familiar to this scene, but no one seemed to recall where they'd seen his face before. He chuckled bitterly in his mind. He had lived in Westchester his whole life. He'd been gone for some time, but his face hadn't changed so much since that time, at least not enough for them to forget his name. A.J. Whitman, the kid who nearly beat the life out of Elton Temple because they keyed his motorcycle. He wondered if he would ever get past it.

Finally reaching the bottom of the steps, the girls were immediately pulled into greetings. Each member of the Pretty Committee was kissing someone's cheek and smiling graciously before he could blink. To his surprise, a woman who looked to be about his mom's age came forward and grinned at him. Her hair was short and black, her lips were a dark raspberry pink and her blue-grey eyes were wide.

"Massie, dear, just who is this handsome young fellow? You _have_ to introduce me." A high pitched laugh escaped her mouth. He could smell the champagne on her breath.

"This, Mrs. Hanley," Massie said with a wide smile plastered on her face, "is Adam Whitman, a good friend of mine." To A.J. she said, "Adam, this is Adeline Hanley, the head of the Women of Westchester. She is also my co-coordinator for the auction tonight. She thought it would be a great way to raise money for the expansion of Westchester Plaza. We're splitting the profits in half for both my cause and hers."

"Surely, he's up to be bid on tonight. He's ab-solutely delicious." He had to mask his shock when she sent him bedroom eyes.

"Actually no-" He started to say.

"Of course he is!" Massie interrupted. "No handsome face is spared for the cause."

"Great, great!" The woman nodded, laughing again. "I must say, honey, you look more gorgeous every time I see you." She gushed.

Massie blushed and he wanted to clap. He realized then how good of an actress she was, knowing how smug and nonchalant she'd looked before when he complimented her in the limo. "Thank you, Mrs. Hanley. I cannot help but say the same."

"Ugh!" The women sighed dramatically and pulled her into a hug. 'Love her.' She mouthed to A.J. obnoxiously.

"Well," A.J. cut in before anything else could be said. "Massie, wasn't there someone you wanted to introduce me to?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Catching the hint, Massie answered. "Mrs. Hanley, it was great seeing you, but we must be going."

"Of course dear." The woman said already on her way to the next person.

He was unsure whether it was he or the girl holding his arm that was responsible for parting the crowd, but somehow they found themselves at the center of the room. He turned around to see that the other girls had followed.

When he wasn't paying attention another group of adults surged forward.

"Claire," one of the women said, "honey, your back is completely exposed!" When the girl in question turned around to reveal the slit all the way down to her navel, the woman's eyes widened. "And your front."

Claire resisted from rolling her eyes. "I realize that, mom. Either that, or it's just really breezy in here. But it's just for tonight, alright?"

Jay Lyons' eyes widened. "Do you have a… shawl or something?"

Claire feigned an apologetic expression. "No. Sorry, dad."

"I think she looks great." A.J. said multiplying the awkwardness of the moment times a hundred.

"And you are?" Len Rivera said, before taking a sip out of his champagne glass. The tall man was watching him closely as if memorizing his face.

"Dad," Alicia said putting a hand on the boy's arm to keep him from answering. "This is A.J. Whitman, a friend of ours. A.J., these are all our parents."

A.J. nodded having expected that. He could see some form of a variation of their features in each of the older couples standing before him. He noticed that the red headed woman had a much younger date on her arm and was confident in assuming that this man was not Dylan's father.

"Claire," Merri-Lee Marvil smiled beautifully, "I also think that you look stunning tonight. You girls are growing up so fast."

"Not too fast, I hope." William Block said with his permanently stoic countenance. His eyes trailed over his daughter's appearance and they narrowed at the slit in her thigh.

Kendra Block tittered and patted his arm playfully. A.J. noticed that Massie's mother was the polar opposite of her father. The woman was lively and her eyes, like Massie's, were mischievous. Her father, on the other hand, looked intimidating and merely bored with being there.

"Well," Kristen said, breaking the awkward silence, "we just got here. We have all of our classmates to say hello to. Mom," she kissed the woman's cheek, "Dad," she repeated the gesture, "I'll see you later on tonight."

The girls said bye to their parents and moved along.

Air whooshed out of Claire's lungs. "My dad is nawt happy. I don't think he's letting me out of the house after this." She turned around to see that he was still watching her. Suddenly, a pair of hands around her waist snapped her attention forward.

Cam's mismatched eyes darkened as his gaze started from her feet and danced their way up to her face.

"Claire Lyons, don't you clean up nice?" His voice was low and husky, but Claire could not forget that her parents could still see her.

"Come on. Let's get out of everyone's way." She pulled him along and noticed that the PC followed. The other guys were nowhere to be seen, but she saw A.J.'s curious eyes assess Cam, who didn't seem to notice him due to his enthrallment in all things Claire.

When they were deeply immersed in the room, away from the prying eyes of their parents, Claire stopped.

"Cam, where are the others?" Dylan asked immediately, her eyes searching the crowd.

"They got stuck talking to Coach Stenson and his family. They won't stop thanking us for putting this all together to help with the cuts in the athletic funds."

"_Ahem_." Alicia cleared her throat and grinned. "_**You guys**_ for putting this all together? Cause I'm pretty sure me and the girls are responsible for this whole thing."

Cam rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. We got you guys to put this all together."

"May I remind you that with the exception of Dylan, none of the favors we agreed on have been fulfilled?" Massie smirked.

He opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when his eyes fell on A.J. His eyes brows crinkled in confusion.

"Cam," Claire spoke first. "This is A.J. Whitman. We invited him here tonight to be put up for bidding. A.J., this is my boyfriend, Cam Fisher."

Cam seemed to stand taller when he held his hand out to be shaken. "Nice to meet you, man. Me and the guys have heard a little bit about you." He said, not impolitely.

A.J. gripped his hand and shook. "Wish I could say the same. Girls don't ever seem to talk about their boyfriends when they're with me."

The girls all looked at him in shock at the implication in his voice and the seriousness in his expression. _What was he doing?_

"Umm," Massie laughed forcefully. "He's joking. Point me in the direction of the others, Cammie boy." She asked changing the subject quickly.

Cam didn't answer for a moment, his eyes locked on A.J.'s in an uncomfortable stare down. But then he answered. "Follow me." He grabbed Claire's hand and led the way.

When they reached Coach Stenson, the boys looked up at them and their eyes lit up.

Derrick grinned when Massie caught his eye. "Coach, I know that we've been soaking up all the glory, but here are the real reasons why tonight was such a success. You may have met them before, but just in case you haven't this is Massie, Kristen, Alicia, Dylan, and Claire."

Each girl stood by their respective boyfriend and shot the coach and his wife gracious smiles.

"Oh, Harvey," the coach's wife cooed at him. "Look at how cute they are! I remember being that young. So nice to meet you, girls."

The girls answered with appropriate greetings and smiles before the boys made their excuses and whisked them away.

Kemp whistled and grabbed Kristen's hand to twirl her around. She laughed as she spun and wrapped her arms around his neck before leaning into to plant a firm, but chaste kiss on his lips.

Cam who hadn't forgotten the stranger standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets broke in before any more sweet hellos could be said.

"Guys, this is A.J. Whitman." He nodded his head towards him and sent them looks, not even attempting to mask his dislike for the guy.

A.J. smirked, used to being the most unpopular guy in the room. He was the outsider, the guy who liked to swipe a guy's girl from right under his nose. Girls were intrigued by him; Massie and her friends were no different. And just as such, their boyfriends were about to play the part of the hostile assholes who wanted him to be nowhere near them.

The guys each sent A.J. a curt nod, unlike the handshake Cam had offered. He returned it, but didn't lose the smirk on his face.

"So I hear that you think you can help us out." Derrick stated his voice completely emotionless.

"Correction: I _**know**_ that I can help you out." A.J. answered. As a waiter passed, he grabbed a champagne flute. "I already have."

"Hm." Plovert replied cryptically.

"Well, A.J. had some good information for us earlier." Dylan explained, watching the exchange nervously. It had taken a lot of convincing to get the boys to have an ounce of confidence in the girls' decision to trust A.J., but if any more was said she had a feeling that it would quickly deteriorate. "We can talk about this later. For now… let's just enjoy tonight."

"Is that really why you made me come here, Dylan?" His eyes penetrated hers. "Ladies? You wanted me to have a _good time_? Cause if you wanted that, the six of us could've just stayed in the limo. I'm sure I could've thought of some interesting ways to pass the time. I'm creative that way." He plucked the slice of strawberry floating in the champagne out of his glass and bit into it, making sure that the boys got what he was insinuating. "Mmm. Juicy."

The girls gave small fake smiles in response and tried to keep the boys calm about his taunts by putting reassuring hands on their backs.

He stepped closer and let his eyes linger on each of their bodies unabashedly. "An hour ago that line would've made you laugh. What's the matter? Homeboys over here don't like jokes?"

Josh's jaw clenched, but he didn't seem too angry yet which Alicia was grateful for. "When they're about my girlfriend? Not really, no."

A.J. either didn't hear or ignored him completely because he kept on. "Don't look so scandalized ladies. Though I am _**proud**_ of how good you are at acting, movies like this one typically don't interest me. At least until someone's taking their clothes off. In that case: 'Lights, Camera, **Action**." He smirked shamelessly. There was something cold and mean in his eyes that the girls had never seen before.

Cam laughed incredulously. "Dude, you are really looking to get your ass kicked tonight."

A.J. smirked even wider as his eyes flashed. "Actually-"

"Hey." Kristen cut in. "We're thirsty. Can you guys go get us some drinks?" Her question was directed to the other boys. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was doing, but it didn't matter to her. She just knew that she couldn't let him finish that sentence.

"There's a waiter right over there with champagne if you want." Kemp said, but his eyes never left A.J.

"No, um, we want… water." Alicia replied lamely. "We don't want to drink anything heavier until after the auction. Cosmo magazine says that it can make you bloated and they might be filming tonight."

There was a slight hesitation before Derrick led the way.

As soon as they were gone, Massie stormed up to A.J. "What are you doing? What the hell was that?" She hissed.

"I don't know what you mean." A.J. said with boredom. His eyes were trained on a stick thin girl in a sequin Nina Ricci number standing a few feet away.

"Don't give me that. Just say whatever's bothering you."

"I wasn't acting any differently than I usually do. Maybe you just thought I was because your boy toys were here."

"Do you have a problem with them?" Massie asked genuinely curious. "They were trying to be nice, A.J. There was no need for you to keep goading them into a fight."

The boy only scoffed in reply.

"You obviously have something to say so say it." Massie said indignantly.

A.J. finally looked at her. "You say I'm acting different but I'm not the only one. You were all acting like the future trophy Westchester housewives that you were raised to be. Your mommies and daddies will be pleased." He answered, his voice dripping with disdain.

"What does that even mean?" Alicia asked.

"You know, just standing here reminded me of why I was happy to leave this town in the first place. I thought you guys were really something, something far beyond Westchester but I was wrong. Just watching you interact with these people, with your boyfriends was enough to prove to me that you're just like everyone I've ever met." He chuckled bitterly. "I don't know why I came here."

"You're not making any sense." Claire said angrily. "You came here because we needed you to be."

"Why? To watch you be the girls everyone expects you to be?"

"Listen, you were fine in the car. I don't know what's wrong with you, but it stops right now. They don't trust you enough as it is, so it would be best if you cooperated a little!" Dylan fumed.

His nostrils flared as he exhaled and watched her. "That's them, huh?" He asked quietly. His voice was still mocking. "I gotta tell ya, they don't disappoint. They're everything I expected. Tall, rich, and handsome. I can see it now. Within the next ten or fifteen years you'll all be married and have 2 perfect kids. A boy and girl. I bet they'll all be friends and you'll all live next door to each other. Things will be just perfect."

Massie didn't know what to say to that so she said nothing. Lucky for her, he wasn't done.

"I can see it now. You'll all be married straight out of college. Your parents won't care. They'll be happy to have an alliance with a "respectable family", though that's really another way to say a family just as loaded as yours. You'll pop a few kids out and become Women of Westchester, finding trivial things to distract you from the fact that your husbands are fucking their secretaries on copy machines back at the office. You'll cry yourself to sleep at night, but you won't do anything about it because that's how you were all raised. Unlike the plebs like me_,_ the kids whose parents don't bring in a six-figure income every month_, _you know better than to air your dirty laundry. And years from now, if your husbands don't leave you for someone half their age, you'll spend the rest of your lives at events like these pretending that you have the perfect life." The chilliness in his voice was palpable. He looked aloof and unconcerned with their feelings.

At first, Massie felt fear. What he'd said was something everyone in town had witnessed happen on dozens of occasions. There was no denying that. But that's why she and her friends made a promise to get out of here and form lives elsewhere.

She didn't know if she and Derrick would ever make it to marriage, but she wouldn't allow someone like A.J. Whitman to tell her and her friends who they would be if they did. They were never going to be like anyone else no matter how many people wanted it so, no matter how many people expected the lives of girls like them to crumble.

And so Massie only looked at A.J. with a hint of pity. "I should be angry with you. But luckily for you, you've got every right to hate this town because in the past, people have treated you horribly. And I know that you have no real reason to feel anything less than dislike for guys like them."

She gestured towards the direction where the boys had gone. "You've probably met dozens of guys just like them, but you know what? You haven't met them. Not really. They may be just as absurdly arrogant as you think they are and they may in the end be some of the worst choices we ever make, but at the end of the day they're with us. Whether you like it or not. Now you've been back in this town for months now and you haven't done a thing to move your life forward, to prove to others that you're better than the one mistake you made a few years ago. This isn't about our boyfriends at all and I know you know that. I don't care that guys like them are still the bane of your existence, if you can't get over your old, bitter resentment then I think it'd be best if we don't work together."

She picked up the train of her dress and chucked her head to the side, signaling the girls to follow her as she walked off. Spotting the one person she was looking for, she felt more determined as stood in front of Lisette Carlyle.

"Do you see that boy over there?" Massie said in the girl's ear, pointing to where A.J. was standing looking like he really wanted to leave. She felt bad about being another person who left him on his own but she didn't want him to be stuck in his misery and the sooner he got over his animosity for Westchester the better.

Lisette, standing at 5'8 in a floor length silver Chanel gown, nodded. "The one who looks like his dog just died?"

"Precisely. That's A.J. Whitman, boy-with-issues extraordinaire. I think you'll like him. He's wonderful and he doesn't even know it yet. Maybe if you showed him, he would." She patted the girl on the shoulder and moved on.

The boys were on their way back with bottled water in their hands. They stopped when they saw the girls approaching.

"You ditched the whacko. Nice." Kemp said meanly.

"He's not a whacko." Kristen answered grabbing a water bottle out of his hand. "He's just misunderstood. I think he'll be okay now. Thanks to Massie."

"No. Thanks to Lisette." Massie smirked. "It's alright. We've gotten some information from him that we needed."

Derrick raised an eyebrow at this revelation, but said nothing of it. Instead he pulled Massie into him until they were so close that their lips were brushing. She was disappointed when he didn't kiss her.

"You know what's funny?" He whispered. "Just a year ago, I would've seen you at an event like this and I would've had to pretend that I didn't notice how beautiful you look. I would've latched myself onto any other girl I could find while keeping you in my line of vision the whole night so that no one could tell that I was pathetically watching your every move. Luckily for me, I don't have to do that. You're mine and all the other guys in the room that were staring at you just a moment ago know that now. I don't care how much of a possessive caveman I sound like right now. I am ridiculously happy that I get to say that."

She closed the small space between them and kissed him sweetly. He returned it readily. When she pulled away she said, "Just for the record, I'm pretty sure that guy over there wasn't staring at me. His name is Diego. He's gay and you have a seriously cute butt."

Derrick's head rolled back as he let out a hearty laugh, but just as quickly he leaned in again.

"You're beautiful." He whispered.

"You too when you're wearing my lipstick."

He grinned and wiped away at his mouth. "Red lipstick. Not sure if I love it or hate it."

"I feel more adventurous when I wear it." Massie explained. "Remember what happened the last time I felt adventurous?" She smiled wickedly.

His eyes glazed over as he remembered the afternoon at Alicia's house. "How could I forget? But no more kisses until the auctions over. No girl will bid on me if I'm marked."

Without realizing it, Alicia heard him and grinned. "That reminds me. Should we tell them?" She asked the girls.

"Sure. Why not?" Massie smiled. "Leesh, you do the honors."

"Well," Alicia perked up even more and spoke. "The girls and I talked and we decided that it sort of sucks that we planned a whole fun night for everyone else but ourselves. So guess who's planning on winning dates with you tonight?"

"Oh thank God," Chris said slinging an arm around Dylan. "I heard that freshman girl, Darcy, was going to bid on me. That chick is craaazy. No joke. She has mood swings. Half the time I see her, she's crying."

Cam laughed in agreement then said, "So true. But no one is going to bid if you guys bid. Girls are scared of you."

"They're not scared of us." Claire replied. Cam looked doubtful and she scoffed. "Not _that _scared. Some of your lady friends already asked us for permission to hang out with you guys. They'll bid. And anyway, we'll let the bidding go on until the last second and then we'll place one."

"Mmmm." Cam hummed beginning to understand.

For the next half hour, the night went on as it regularly would which the PC was relieved about. They acknowledged detectives Moakley and Falk who routinely surveyed the room with nods.

Then it came the time for the auction.

"May all the bachelors come to the front of the room?" Mrs. Hanley asked into the microphone.

"Well," Josh said after chugging down the rest of the champagne in his glass, "that's our cue. Boys, let's go."

As the lights dimmed, everyone in the room settled down at their tables. 40 guys from the ages of fourteen to twenty-one stood on stage.

Massie noticed that A.J.'s gaze never strayed from Lisette and smiled. He looked dazed. The girl in question looked back at him with just as much interest. As if she knew Massie was thinking about her, their eyes met. Lisette smiled and mouthed, 'I like this one." Massie winked in reply and turned her attention back to the stage.

"Before we begin," Mrs. Hanley said, "the rules of the auction state that all bidders must raise their paddles in order to bid. Anyone who calls but forgets to raise their paddle has not correctly bid and therefore their call is considered invalid. After a person bids the next bidder MUST raise that bid at least fifty dollars higher so as to move the bidding along. For example, if a bidder were to bid three hundred dollars, someone else may not bid three hundred and one dollars. They must bid three hundred and fifty, and the person after must bid four hundred and so on. At the end of the night, both the bid winners and their "prize", the woman giggled shrilly at the word, "must report to the winner's table at the back of the room. You will fill out a form to be billed and when you receive a receipt, you and your auction contestant may then schedule your date. Details about the date will be explained after the auction by one of our future Women of Westchester, Alicia Rivera."

Polite applause broke throughout the room, no one noticing how Alicia winced at that. Her mind was thinking about what A.J. had said earlier about being like their mothers. Most people looked eager to get into the bidding and she was happy she didn't have to respond to that semi-invitation.

"First up," Mrs. Hanley started, "Ladies, we have eighteen-year old cutie Christopher Mullen. Christopher is a point guard for the Denwood-Ames Varsity Basketball team and president of the Ski/Snowboarding Club. He enjoys playing the drums and hanging out with friends. According to him, his favorites include artists Kanye West," she read off a source card with complete mispronunciation, "the Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, the movie Scarface, and Chinese food. We will start the bidding at one hundred dollars. Any takers?"

A few girls close to the stage cheered. He recognized them and smiled at them thankfully. A brunette girl raised her bidding paddle and called, "One Hundred."

The girl next to her also raised her paddle, "One Fifty."

"Two hundred." The first girl said.

Another girl called, "Two Fifty."

Alicia rolled her eyes at the fact that the auction was already moving slowly. The first two girls were obviously fighting over him and by the looks of it; both girls had money to spend. She wondered how far they'd go to get him. Alicia raised her paddle.

"Five hundred."

The first girl who had bid turned back to look at her and she smiled in response.

"Six hundred." That same girl said quickly raising her paddle also.

"Six hundred Fifty." Another girl in the crowd said.

"Seven fifty."

"…."

There was silence.

"Eight hundred anyone?" Mrs. Hanley goaded.

"Eight hundred." The second girl bid.

"Great! Nine hundred?"

There were no takers and thus one Christopher Mullen was sold for Eight hundred dollars.

The process went on about a dozen more times before Cam Fisher stepped up.

Mrs. Hanley gave him a small introduction as she had the others but unlike the others he asked to say a few words. Cam surprised the crowd and let out series of witty and self-depreciating jokes that made all the girls fall in love with him.

Massie watched Claire and saw that the girl's eyes were shining with pride.

"The bidding," Mrs. Hanley said, "will start at a hundred dollars."

"One Hundred." Kori called.

"One hundred Fifty." Another girl said.

"Great. Two Hundred anyone?" Mrs. Hanley goaded.

"Two Hundred." Kori called again.

"Three Fifty." Another girl.

"Four Hundred." And another girl.

"Four Fifty." And another girl.

"Five Hundred." And another girl.

"Six Hundred." And another girl.

"Seven Hundred." Kori again.

"Eight Hundred." And another girl.

"Nine Hundred." Kori.

"One Thousand." One of the first girls.

"Twelve Hundred." Olivia Ryan.

"Fifteen Hundred." Lisette giggled sticking her tongue out at Claire who laughed.

Applause ran throughout the room because that was the highest anyone had bid so far.

"Sixteen Hundred." Kori called again.

Claire looked at her, but the girl's eyes never left the blushing Cam.

"Sixteen Fifty." Olivia bid.

"Seventeen Hundred." Another girl she knew, Grace Stockton, said.

"….Eighteen Hundred Anyone?" Mrs. Hanley asked.

It was quiet for a moment and Grace looked smug.

"Going once… going twi-"

Claire raised her paddle. "Three Thousand."

"SOLD!" Mrs. Hanley beamed.

The crowd burst into applause. Claire clapped along with them and on stage, Cam stuck his tongue out at her. She returned the gesture and looked around the room only to see her parents with their eyes wider than she'd ever seen them. Her father looked furious.

His mouth formed the words. "Three Thousand dollars?"

She shrugged and looked back at Cam. When her grandmother had died last summer, she had left Claire a significant amount of money which was hers to use however she chose and ever since her father had gotten a promotion, he was making enough money to afford their own mansion in Westchester. He had actually considered it but due to Claire's close relationship with Massie both girls had pleaded with their parents for the Lyons family to stay in the guest house.

William Block had relented and spoke to Jay Lyons who felt guilty about living off the Block estate. The two men had settled on an agreement. The house would be leased to the Lyons and Jay would make all the mortgage payments on the house as a separate estate. Since the summer, construction workers had been expanding it to a larger, more upscale size. Since it was winter, construction had been put on hold, but it was supposed to be finished by the spring.

"Next up, we have sixteen-year old Joshua Hotz. _Josh, _as I've been informed he likes to be called, _is_ a member of the two-time State Championship winning Varsity Denwood-Ames Soccer Team and the Varsity Baseball Team. His favorites include playing soccer, his four-year old sister, Diana," a round of awww's broke out by the women in the room, "hanging out with his friends, X-Box Live, Ralph Lauren, and the Yankees."

Josh shot everyone in the audience a winning smile and the bidding began,

"Two Hundred."

"Two Fifty."

"Three Hundred."

"Five Hundred."

Girls had definitely gotten riskier after seeing the race for Cam Fisher.

"Five Fifty."

"Six Fifty…"

And so it went on…

Until Josh was finally sold for…

"Four thousand." Alicia smiled and the crowd cheered.

Kemp Hurley was next.

"Sixteen-Year old Kemp Hurley is a member of the two-time State Championship Winning Varsity Denwood-Ames Soccer Team. Last year, Kemp was also part of an Operation Smile Challenge where he volunteered to play 72 county soccer games sponsored by various businesses in the area to raise money for children with cleft lips and cleft palates. Kemp's favorites include artists Bob Marley and Neil Young, the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High and comedians Kevin Hart and Dane Cook."

And so went the bidding.

"One Hundred."

"One Fifty."

"Two Fifty."

"Three Fifty."

"Five Hundred." A surprisingly eager Layne Abeley bid.

A few minutes later…

"Two Thousand." Kristen called.

By now, girls figured out that Dylan would be bidding on Chris so the only girls that bid on him were not from Denwood-Ames and knew nothing of his relationship with the red head. A persistent blonde from The Francesca Academy in Maine who was visiting Westchester over break proceeded to get into a back and forth with Dylan until they reached three thousand.

Dylan, who knew her mom would allow her to go even higher finally bid,

"Five thousand."

"Five thousand dollars for one night of romance." Mrs. Hanley whooped. "Take a lesson from Miss Dylan Marvil everyone. There is no price high enough for young love."

For some reason Dylan caught many people's reactions. Moakley scowled as usual, Falk smiled softly, Merri-Lee laughed, drunk on champagne, and Dylan won.

Massie high fived her and smirked at Derrington as he stepped forward next.

"Next up, we have sixteen-year old Derrick Harrington. Derrick is yet again, _another _member of the Denwood-Ames Varsity Soccer Team; but listen here ladies, Derrick is the Centaurs' captain, a title he earned his freshman year at the academy. During the spring season, Derrick is a swim coach and lifeguard at the YMCA and during the winter and fall seasons he is a volunteer assistant soccer coach at Briarwood Academy, which he attended during his elementary days. Derrick's favorites include playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and snowboarding."

Derrick smiled and wiggled his eyebrows radiating charm.

Shocking for all the teens in the room, Derrick included, Olivia Ryan bid first.

"250." She said calmly.

"400." A freshman girl bid sheepishly.

Olivia's eyes flickered to Massie, who was busy coercing a nervous-looking young waiter to bring her a glass of red wine. Massie was fully paying attention to the auction, but Olivia and the other girls in the room could not tell and so the bidding got a little racier.

"500."

"550."

"600."

"700."

"900."

Girl after girl bid.

A minute later…

"2000."

"2500." Olivia said smirking slightly seeing as Derrick's eyes were watching her.

Derrick was confused. As far as he was concerned, he and Olivia had been done for some time now. Apparently his ex still held a candle for him. His ego was soaring as each new girl raised her paddle and called a number to have him for a night. He looked at Block in the crowd but she wasn't paying attention to him. In fact, she was looking quite cozy with a waiter, giving him the infamous Massie Block smile. The kid looked nervous and he wanted to scoff out loud. Guys like that didn't know how to handle girls like Massie. He wondered what she was doing, but his attention was drawn back to the auction.

"4000."

This time Olivia actually smiled as she bid, "6000."

4000 seemed to be the limit for most girls.

Skye glanced at Massie, who was still talking to the waiter.

"Going once, going tw-"

"10,000." Massie said out of nowhere. The waiter looked confused until he glanced at her raised paddle and realized that she was bidding. He nodded at her and began to walk away. Massie grinned and mouthed a "Thanks" to his retreating figure before glancing at the stage now.

The PC glanced at Massie with wide eyes, but she gave them a reassuring look.

Though nobody knew it, as much as Massie shopped, she saved. She had a savings account lined up with funds extracted from her weekly allowance. She'd been saving since the first week of freshman year. At this rate if she wanted she could have her own fully furnished Manhattan apartment and pay half a year's rent. 10,000 was a nice chunk of change but not anything she couldn't recover from.

A lot of murmurs broke throughout the room. William Block did not look pleased, but his face gave away almost nothing and Kendra's only reply was a raised eyebrow at her daughter.

Consciously, the PC had set the standard for the rest of the auction. Claire's $3000 bid had been considered risky but with each member of the PC, things got progressively interesting. After Massie's outrageous $10,000 bid, the auction had gone far better than anyone had imagined.

After Derrick was sold, guys were picked off for no less than 2000..

The highest bid of the night, however, came at the end when everyone was least expecting it.

A.J. Whitman had stepped forward and before anyone else could bid, Lisette Carlyle stepped forward and spoke:

"15,000 dollars."

The room was ecstatic. Girls sulked, knowing that no one could outbid her, parents looked shocked, and A.J. blushed.

The PC cheered louder than anyone in the room.

When the auction was over and the guys were walking off the stage, Massie made sure to slip a note into A.J.'s pocket. It wouldn't be until midnight that he found it in his pocket. It read:

YOU'RE WELCOME. WITH LOVE, THE PRETTY COMMITTEE

''

"Claire, we need to have a talk when we get home." Jay Lyons approached his daughter and said.

"Yeah. I think we do too." Claire replied her eyes never leaving Cam, who was laughing with his father. She had a nagging feeling that they were talking about her and felt relief that Ben Fisher seemed to approve of her. Just a minute ago, Harris, before going off to meet his date, made sure to tell her what her dress was doing to his body. She'd pretended to look bored, but inwardly she was blushing. She had recalled a time when almost all the girls she knew had a crush on Cam's older brother.

"I don't know what's going on with you but I don't like it."

"That's easy. I grew up, dad."

"You're fifteen." Jay growled. "You don't know a thing about being an adult."

As he said this, Claire finally turned to look him in the eyes. Her dress swished gracefully around her and for some reason, she had never felt so confident.

She smiled calmly. "Maybe not. But that wasn't what I meant anyway. I'll be sixteen very soon, dad. It's about time you realized that I'm not the same girl who wore overalls and grew nervous when boys talked to me."

"I realize that. In fact, I'd say that you seem a little too comfortable with the young men in this room, and they with you."

"I don't know what you mean to say by that but I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you. Cam Fisher is the only young man I'm interested in."

"I don't know what about that makes you think that I find it comforting, but it doesn't matter. Like I said, we can talk when we get home." He quickly walked away leaving Claire standing there with a mixture of feelings. She closed them off from her thoughts and moved towards the object of her attention.

Ben Fisher, who saw her coming, sent her a smile and wave that she returned, patted his son on the shoulder and moved on giving the couple some space.

Cam turned around to see her approaching. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"How is it that you get hotter every time I see you?"

She placed her hands on his arms and leaned in.

"I don't really know the answer to that." She said softly. "But it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm not wearing anything under this dress."

Cam's eyes slithered to her exposed chest which was pressed against him. The corner of his mouth curled up in an unCam-like way.

"You're really committing yourself to driving me crazy tonight aren't you?"

"You know it."

''

Kristen was having a great night. She and her friends had done it again; they'd managed to wow everyone. And to make things better, Sam, as she'd predicted, seemed to not be up to anything tonight.

Dempsey Solomon had been sending her meaningful looks all night so she made a point to be completely accepting of all Kemp's intimate touches, touches that, in public, she'd usually be brushing off out of embarrassment. Kemp couldn't seem to get enough of her and had not moved more than a foot away from her since the bidding had ended.

To her disappointment, a time finally came where they had to separate. Kemp had been called to be interviewed for a section in the Westchester Journal and she'd sent him off with a chaste kiss.

Dempsey saw this as an opportunity and approached her.

"Kristen Gregory." He smirked. He'd changed so much from the boy he was when he'd returned from Africa. He started hanging out in Landon Crane's posse and seemed to take the other boys place when Landon had went off to college.

"Dempsey Solomon." She returned neutrally.

"I must say, it never occurred to me until now that we've never had the chance to get to know each other."

Kristen did nothing for a moment but watch him. Then she sighed and spoke,

"We've had plenty of chances. There was that time you tried to be with Massie, the time you tried to be with Claire, the time you tried to be with Dylan, and the time you made out with Alicia while she was drunk."

"And why have I never noticed you before?" Dempsey quipped.

"Maybe because I never noticed you."

"And why have you never noticed me before?"

"Because nothing about you, Dempsey Solomon, is remotely interesting."

He laughed at this, "And no one has ever interested me more, Kristen Gregory." He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sure my boyfriend thinks so too." She answered.

"Kemp Plovert is not what you think he is."

She put a hand on her hip. "And what do I think he is?"

"A good guy."

This time Kristen laughed. "You don't know me at all."

"A fact I'm trying to change."

"For tonight. And only because I look beautiful and won't give you the time of day."

"That's alright. I'm hoping for the time of night."

Kristen rolled her eyes. "You have to know that this isn't getting anywhere so what do you want?"

Dempsey watched her silently and then answered. "I don't know. I just saw you and the other girls tonight and a stream of 'what ifs' hit me. You're my biggest one."

Kristen smiled. Sweetly this time. "Look at it this way; you can't miss what you don't know."

"I guess." He shrugged. "You can, however, regret what you don't know."

"I wouldn't know. I don't regret much."

"No? And why not?"

She smirked. "Over time I learned how little so many people matter."

"Charming." Dempsey replied. A guy came up behind him suddenly and whispered something in his ear. He turned to Kristen when the guy left.

"Well," he said, "it seems I have some business to attend to. It has been a pleasure, Gregory. I mean it."

"That's an exaggeration if I ever heard one." Kristen said wryly.

Dempsey chuckled and kissed her hand.

When he was gone, she was surprised to find that she wished he would return. She was bored for the first time tonight. She didn't see her friends anywhere and knew that they were with their boyfriends. She didn't want to ruin any moments so she didn't even attempt to find them.

She looked around at the event that she and the other girls had meticulously planned. The night was a success. In a little bit, Mrs. Hanley would announce the total of proceeds won tonight and she and Kemp could sneak off to make out. They had kept the PDA PG-13 for the most part but she knew Kemp couldn't wait to slide her gown off of her.

They hadn't actually talked about it but she knew that he wanted to have sex.

She had thought about it a lot and she wanted to go for it too, but she didn't know if it was a good idea. From what she'd seen of other relationships, sex changed things. Not necessarily in a bad way which was proven by the way Alicia and Josh couldn't stop staring at each other half the time. But she really wanted things with Kemp to work out this time. Loving him enough wasn't the issue. Trusting him was.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted Lisette heading out of the ballroom towards the direction of the ladies room. She smiled, thinking of the way the girl had managed to catch A.J.'s attention so strongly in such a short time. On a whim, she decided to follow her. She stepped out of the ballroom and down the hallway after Lisette.

She was halfway there when the light shut off and the unexpected happened.

"Kristen." An eerie voice whispered.

Without even thinking, she started running. She twisted her ankle, and absently thought of the times Massie had insisted they wear sneakers. She got up quickly but she was a lot slower, a hand shot out and grabbed her. She was going to scream, but it covered her mouth with a cloth. She suddenly felt dizzy.

"Cool, huh?" A distorted voice whispered in her ear. "It's a drug called Styazepam. Illegal in three of the seven continents. It makes you dizzy and disoriented for a few seconds before you pass out. You will wake up approximately eight minutes after you pass out. Let's see how much damage I can do in that time, huh?"

Kristen felt a quiet tear slip down her cheek before she saw black.


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm not gonna lie. The reasoning for my failure to update was me being 2 parts busy and 1 part lazy. I finished my college apps and got an A on all of my midterms. Life is good. I'm more than halfway done with my senior year and now that my life is back on track, I think I can get in the writing groove again. Your reviews still make me smile and I thank anyone who is still reading. This story has been way overdue and I apologize. This chapter isn't so action-packed but I felt it was necessary. A lot of you are excited to see what's going to happen next, beginning with Kristen. Well…. Here you go.**

**Enjoy. XOXOXOXO**

Chapter 20

Alicia's stomach hurt.

Any time either she or Dylan had opened their mouths, they'd found themselves bent over laughing. They were on a roll. The night so far had been a success and she was proud to say that they were having a really good time. Dylan had just done a few spot on impressions of the girls who had won in the bidding wars, causing Alicia to burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"You guys are crazy." Josh said squeezing Alicia's hand.

She squeezed back. "You definitely cracked a smile. Don't think I didn't see that."

He smirked and took a sip out of a flask hidden in his jacket. "Where is everyone? Dylan, where's Plovert?"

"Mrs. Hanley asked him to answer some questions about the auction for the Westchester Journal." Dylan replied her eyes locked on his flask. "What's in there?"

"Cognac." He handed it over.

She took a long swig, suppressed a cough, and handed it back.

"The interview. Am I supposed to be doing that too?"

Dylan shook her head and this time took a sip of her champagne. "I don't think so. It's not everyone. They just picked a few people. Kemp's with him."

"Then where's everyone else?" Alicia wondered.

"Clam is somewhere in the room being annoyingly sweet," She rolled her eyes earning her another laugh, "Last I saw, Massie was with Lisette, and Derrick was talking to his parents. And I have no clue where Kristen is… probably off getting yelled at by her parents for spending so much money on her bid. You know how paranoid they are about going broke again."

Alicia nodded in understanding. "But my mom says that Mr. Gregory probably has more money than he did before."

Dylan shrugged. "Doesn't matter. After so many people came back from debt, everyone's doing whatever they can to make sure that it never happens again."

"Let's go rescue her." Josh suggested. "Dylan, just make up an excuse to pull her aside."

"Good idea, Josh." Dylan said with a minor slur. "I knew there was a reason Leesh keeps you around." She clapped him on the shoulder and started walking.

"She's not drunk, is she?" Josh asked in Alicia's ear.

Alicia smiled and gestured to show him a minimal amount with her pointer finger and thumb. "A teensy bit. She'll be fine though."

They got to Mr. and Mrs. Gregory and Alicia held Dylan's arm. "Let me do this. You, in the mean time, lay off the champagne. At least until the night's over and we head over to Cam's place. His parents always stay downstairs in the den. Then we can raid their bar."

Dylan only giggled in response.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gregory, hello!" Alicia said cheerfully. She leaned in and gave Kristen's mother the customary double cheek peck and her father a handshake.

"You look lovely tonight, Alicia." Diane Gregory told her. The woman looked like she expected Kristen would in 25 years. She was soft-spoken and had intelligent eyes.

"As do you." Alicia answered. "You're also looking fine tonight, Mr. Gregory. You look every bit the distinguished couple."

"Thank you." He said putting an arm around his wife's dainty shoulders.

"I only came to ask if you'd seen Kristen anywhere. Mrs. Hanley wanted to thank all of us for the work we did tonight. Kristen especially. Your daughter really is amazing in anything she does."

She figured that she may as well put Kristen in a nice light while she spoke to her parents. It seemed to work because her parents stood a little straighter, the pride in their faces evident.

"I hope so." Mrs. Gregory smiled. "As for where she is, I have no idea. I think I'd seen her last with that Hurley boy." Mr. Gregory's face immediately darkened.

"Oh?" Alicia asked her voice an octave higher. She really hadn't meant to bring up their daughter's "bad news troublemaking boyfriend." (As Kristen often said her parents called him)

"Yes. That sounds about right." Mrs. Gregory told her.

"Alright then, I should go find her. Thank you so much."

With that, she walked back to where Josh and Dylan were standing.

"Well?" Josh asked.

"They'd last seen her when she was with Kemp, but Kemp's over there." Alicia pointed towards the stage where Kemp was talking animatedly to a female reporter, who was blushing. Plovert stood next to him trying to smother his laughs in the arm of his tuxedo jacket.

"We all agreed to only stick with people close to us tonight." Dylan said. "She's not with her parents, she's not with our classmates over there, and she's obviously not with Kemp."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Josh warned catching the worry in their expressions. "Bathroom?"

Alicia sighed with relief. "Kristen really does need to pee almost every time she drinks something. Dyl, come awn," She grabbed the redheads arm, "let's go find her."

They headed down to the hall when they heard, "Oh my God!" shouted in the direction of the bathrooms.

"Why is this light off?" Dylan asked running to the light switch. She moved to turn it on and when it was on they saw Lisette crouched on the floor. They could see she was blocking a girl's body, a girl lying motionless on the floor.

Alicia broke off into a sprint. "Kristen?" She screamed.

Lisette whipped around. Her expression was panicked. Alicia squeezed her eyes shut before she looked at Kristen. She initially noticed that one of Kristen's ankles was swollen. It was probably sprained.

But it was her friend's face that was the most horrifying thing. Her eyes were wide open staring into nothing and her lips were parted as if she had been in the process of screaming.

Across her chest, in black capital lettering was written:

**AREN'T YOU GLAD I DIDN'T BRING MY KNIFE? SAM.**

Dylan immediately started screaming. She couldn't stop.

Alicia fell to her knees.

They immediately attracted attention and people from inside the ballroom ran out to see what the commotion was. It took a few minutes before they had a large crowd but by then women were already panicking and a few men had run forward.

"Somebody call 911!" One man shouted.

"There are cops already here!" Someone answered.

"What's going on?" She heard several different voices ask.

Suddenly, she could hear Massie shouting, "Let me go! KRISTEN! KRISTEEEEEN! NO! LET ME GOOO! GET OFFA ME! SHE'S MY FRIEND! SHE'S MY FRIEND…" But Alicia's eyes could not leave the still girl's body.

Dylan was still screaming. Her face was almost as red as her hair and veins were popping out of her forehead. But not even that frightened Alicia, as her eyes stayed on Kristen.

Kristen. Good and loyal Kristen. Freakishly smart Kristen. Best Friend Kristen. Confidante Kristen.

Now **dead **Kristen.

Kemp ran forward and unintentionally pushed her and Lisette out of the way. He somehow squeezed his way through the other people trying to look over the blonde girl and was at her side quicker than should have been possible.

"Baby," he shook her desperately, "wake up! Come on, Kris. Wake up!"

One man tried to push him back. "Hey, kid, you need to move."

Kemp only shook Kristen harder.

"No! Her eyes are open!"

"That happens sometimes. It just depends on-"

"Shut your mouth!" Kemp spat so harshly that spit flew from his mouth. "Shut your_ fucking _mouth! This is Kristen. She's going to be fine. She's the safest person I know. She's going to be fine, okay?"

But he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than others.

Alicia got a glimpse of the mixture of denial and grief in his eyes that would only grow when he accepted the truth. A truth that was hitting Alicia harder by the second.

Lisette, with tears in her eyes, seemed to pity him and began rubbing soothing circles on his back, but Kemp didn't seem to notice. He was still looking at Kristen as if he were a doctor.

He touched her face gently and then settled on putting his head to her chest. His eyes widened. "Her heart's still beating! I feel it!"

In under a minute, the paramedics were there. Lucky for them, they'd been on standby in case of emergencies. Getting word of Kristen's condition, an onlooker shouted to the crowd. "She's still alive! She's still alive!"

Alicia, finally realizing what the man was saying and what it meant, collapsed from her knees to the floor. She could barely hear anything anymore.

Kristen was alive. She was alive. She wasn't dead.

SAM was torturing them. She didn't think she'd ever be the same after this.

While on the floor, someone touched her. She backed away immediately only to see it was Josh. There was fear in his eyes. "Alicia," he whispered, "it's me. Calm down. You're scaring me."

She didn't get what he meant only to realize that her lips were trembling and she was muttering to herself, "Itneverstops… Itneverstops… Itneverstops…"

Detective Falk came up to both of them. "She's in shock. They all are."

Her voice sounded very far away to Alicia. She looked for Kristen, but too many people were in the way. Someone had put an oxygen mask over Dylan's face to calm her. Massie stood looking a lost wreck. Somehow, in the chaos, both the straps of her black dress had broken.

Suddenly, a startling noise was heard.

It was almost like a… vacuum. Something sucking in air.

She realized that the whooshing noise was made by the blonde girl lying on the floor who was breathing in air as if someone had been holding her head underwater too long. People backed away from Kristen as she coughed uncontrollably and tried to get oxygen into her lungs. Her lips held a bluish tint and that scared Alicia more than anything.

Dylan ripped the oxygen mask off her face and shoved people away to bring it to Kristen's. Kristen kept coughing but Dylan didn't move the mask. If anything, she pressed it harder to her mouth.

"Don't stop breathing, Kris, please," she pleaded in a dry, raw voice.

"She's going to be okay." One of the paramedics said.

He wheeled an emergency cot in and knelt down to Kristen. He placed a neck brace around her.

"Is her neck broken?" Dylan asked.

"No miss, I don't believe it is. It's just a precaution. We wouldn't want to cause any more damage." His partner came and together they slowly lifted Kristen on the cot and began to wheel her away.

"Kristen," Mrs. Gregory burst through the crowd looking frazzled. Her husband was right behind her.

"What happened?" Her father asked the paramedic.

Alicia never got to hear the answer as they walked away. Slowly, she lifted herself up off the floor. Josh's arms were immediately around her. She didn't respond. She barely registered his presence. Her eyes were locked on Massie's tear streaked face. Massie stared back at Alicia with an identical look in her eyes.

At the same time, their eyes moved to the same thing.

On the wall, to their left pointed down was a thousand dollar, recently installed security camera.

''

The whole Pretty Committee (minus Kristen) and the boys (minus Kemp) stood in front of Detective's Moakley and Falk ten minutes after the paramedics had driven off with Kristen. Kemp had followed in a towncar with his parents.

Moakley had been writing furiously in his notepad while Falk spoke to him when they approached them.

"Ah," Moakley said tearing off a page after writing on it. He stuffed it in his pocket, "for once I don't have to seek you out. I have questions to ask you."

"No, we're the ones who should be asking questions." Dylan hissed. Chris' jacket, which had been placed around her shoulders, was barely hanging on her but she didn't seem to notice. "I thought the point of getting the security cameras was to watch what was going on **all** night at **all **times. How was it that Kristen was attacked and no one noticed?"

"Well, Miss Marvil," Falk said smoothly clearly trying to pacify the situation, "fortunately, the cameras are pretty high tech. As soon as our perp turned off the light, the cameras automatically switched to night vision. However, nobody had bothered to change the dated TVs in the control room. The TVs went blank. The watch crew foolishly tried to set up said TVs instead of notifying any of us that a light had been turned off in the first place so that we could check it out."

"So that means that you don't have the footage?" Massie asked in disbelief.

"No." Falk said. "We do. It's upstairs."

"Have you seen it?" Cam asked.

"Not yet. We're on our way there. Come with us." The blonde woman said leading the way.

For once, Moakley didn't argue. They walked up the stairs fairly quickly. When they got to the control room, a few men were standing around.

"It's ready, boss." A man with dark hair and eyes said. He wore glasses and was dressed significantly more casual than anyone in the room.

"Alright, everyone out except Howard." Moakley shooed. The men filed out one by one, following his orders without hesitation. The man with the dark hair was the only one who remained.

"Howard is our tech man." He introduced the man to the teens. "What have we got here?

"Well, I can't tell you much but I can show you." Howard answered.

With a flick of his finger he had pressed play.

Suddenly they were in the hallway. A tall, dark figure walked with its head down. Whoever it was walked quickly, but not as if they were in a rush, quickly like one moves when they're confident about where they are and what they're about to do. In a flash, the person was hidden behind a wall facing away from the women's bathroom. Seconds later, Lisette Carlyle walked by the hidden person unaware of the danger lurking by and entered the bathroom. The figure stepped out as if to follow her into the bathroom, but stopped and hid again.

They waited and a minute later Kristen was exiting the ballroom. The teens tensed at the sight of their friend innocently walking into an ambush. She looked down at her chest and adjusted the top on her gown and at that moment the figure stepped out and shut off the light. The camera switched to night vision as Kristen stopped. There was no sound, but they could see that the girl looked startled. Suddenly, she was running back in the direction of the ballroom but lost her footing in her heels. She got up fairly quick but not quickly enough. A moment later she was caught in a vice grip. She struggled until the person brought out what was clearly a cloth to her mouth. They watched as the attacker leaned down to bring their lips close to her ear. They watched as Kristen's struggles became weaker and weaker before her body went limp.

Again, the attacker moved quickly. Managing to keep their head down as to shield their face, they placed her flat on her back on the floor and pulled something out of their pocket. They couldn't tell what it was until the person pulled the cap off. It was a marker. They crouched over Kristen's still body almost reverently and began to write in that cautious print. When they were done, the person slid a hand disgustingly slow across her torso before resting their hand across her heart for a few seconds.

"What's he doing?" Cam whispered.

The person just stopped and stared at Kristen before they abruptly got up. They ran towards the emergency exit and just as soon as they appeared, they were gone. Literally seconds later Lisette left the bathroom and saw Kristen.

Moakley let the video play out to point where the paramedics arrived until he asked Howard to pause it.

He thought for a moment before speaking. "There's a lot in that video that I find interesting but I want to point out one thing. Kristen was not his target tonight."

"No."Falk agreed. "He was going to follow the other young woman into the bathroom."

"Her name is Lisette." Derrick spoke up.

Massie shuddered at the thought that Kristen had unintentionally saved Lisette's life. Without a doubt he would've killed Lisette. But he didn't hurt Kristen…

And then Falk voiced her question.

"Why didn't he kill Kristen?" The question was directed to her partner. "He taunts and threatens them, but when the opportunity arises, he doesn't go through with it. Why is that do you think?"

"No time maybe?" Moakley suggested.

Falk immediately objected. "No. He wasn't rushing. He even paused over her. It wasn't a hesitation. It was a pause, a moment with his victim. Somehow, this guy is a master of time management. He arrives and leaves right when he's supposed to. In that time, he could just as easily have slit her throat," The whole group flinched. Claire looked away from the screen, "and left but he didn't. There's a reason."

"Maybe because it wasn't her time." Derrick muttered under his breath with a faraway look in his eyes.

"What?" Moakley asked.

Derrick licked his lips and looked in thought for a few more seconds before he answered.

"You're right about the time management thing. He always acts when it's just the right time to. Well maybe… maybe it's not the right time to. Not for him. Not yet. Maybe he's waiting for an exact moment to actually go through with it."

"Like when?" Falk asked. "That was an opportune time. Maybe he just doesn't want to kill them."

The PC shuffled nervously at the conversation.

"Why wouldn't he?" Derrick asked. "There's a certain amount of hatred you need to have for someone to take joy out of watching them suffer the way SAM has. And he hasn't stopped. He just keeps prolonging it because he wants it to hurt for as long as possible. Maybe, he's planning to take them together or something."

No one said anything for a moment. They just stared at Derrick and absorbed the grim tone his voice had taken.

"Are you talking about a premeditated kidnapping?" Howard asked.

He doesn't know the teens in the room but he wonders why his bosses are letting them see this. At the same time, he listens to what the blonde boy says and finds something terribly aged about him. About all of them in their grown-up clothes and alcohol coated breaths, their tired eyes and weary voices.

"No." Cam answered. "He's talking about a premeditated murder."

"Howard," Moakley said before anyone could let that sink in, "When does the attacker come in? And where from?"

"Well boss," He answered playing the video back again, "I already checked and it seems that someone had left the emergency exit door open. I played the footage back all the way until the morning the cameras are set up and no one comes through there. It seems the door has always been open, but by so small a crack that nobody even notices."

Falk swore under her breath. "Zoom in on our perp."

Howard did just that and everyone watched the top of the attacker's head closely as if hoping to get a glimpse of his face. SAM, as they'd guessed was obviously male. His shoulders were square but he didn't seem too buff. He looked to be on the skinny side actually. What he did have was a height advantage. He was at least seven or eight inches taller than Kristen. The PC had known that already as A.J.'s sister and Dylan had told them about Skye's party.

"He's about 6'2, 6'3," Howard said, "That's just an estimate though at this angle."

"A lot of guys we know are within a range of that height." Josh said. "He's thin though, which narrows it down to an extent. I can try to come up with a list of guys that fit that body description. It won't be short, but it's something."

Moakley nodded at Josh's offer, "I can't say I know how far that would get us, Mr. Hotz, but it would be helpful. Anything at this point is."

Josh nodded back. "I'll try to have it ready by sometime tomorrow."

Alicia, as if snapping back into reality, spoke up, "I'll help."

"I thought you were going to see Kristen tonight?" Josh asked.

Claire answered for her. "I tried calling before. The Gregory's have limited Kristen's visitors to family only. And Kemp because he refuses to leave. They're feeling distrustful of everyone at the moment."

"All of our parents are." Massie said matter of factly. "My father is talking to your parents as we speak. I think he's trying to convince them that we need to get out of town as soon as possible."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Falk replied. "Our case is here. Our protection of you all can only extend so far. If you are to go ahead and do something like leave the country, you're out of our jurisdiction."

"That's something you have to discuss with our parents." Massie said.

"I plan to." She answered.

Cam looked confused, which Claire noticed. "Not you." She said to him apologetically. "Mr. Block is only speaking with our parents." She said referring to the Pretty Committee.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't something that was considered an option until tonight. You guys have to stay here."

"What? Why?" Chris asked.

"Because you're only targets by association, Chris." Dylan said with frustration. "We spoke about this already. SAM knows that if he came after you like he just did to Kristen, there isn't a definite chance that he'd win. He's too calculated to take that chance. You're safe and that's all that matters. I can see what you're thinking. Don't, alright? Just don't."

"And? So you're running?" Derrick asked. "You're just going to up and leave Westchester?"

"Not permanently." Massie responded.

"Well for how long then, Block?" Derrick pressed. When she didn't answer him he tried again, "_How long, Block_?"

She didn't know what to say. "I don't know."

"How long have you been planning this?" Josh asked.

Alicia shook her head. "I just told you I'd help you make the list. I obviously didn't know about any plans to leave." She looked just as shocked as they did which annoyed her. She looked at Massie but the girl was busy sending Derrick meaningful looks.

"What about school?" Chris asked.

"We can all get private tutoring in the mean time." Dylan said.

"What about us?" Chris said only to her.

The other boys looked at the girls and seemed to be awaiting the answers to that question too.

"Listen kids," Moakley spoke up, "I think this is a conversation you probably want to have in private. Can we keep our emotions in check until we get through with the video?"

"The video," Claire said grabbing onto that diversion, "what else?"

"Lisette." Falk spoke up, "He was after her. Why?"

"Easy," Derrick answered, "She's pretty, she's rich, and she's extremely popular. She's also our friend."

"Has she received any notes?" Moakley questioned.

"Not that we know of." Massie replied. "She seemed fairly normal tonight. Happy even. She was just as eager to be a part of the bidding as anyone."

"I saw that." Howard said. He whistled. "Fifteen thousand dollars. Outrageous."

Everyone looked at him and he seemed to realize that he was completely off topic. Moakley, however, sent him a look of agreement.

"Moving on," Falk said, a little too loudly before anything about that topic could be discussed further, "We've learned a few things tonight. I think that'll be all. It's been a tough night for you all. I think this can be held off for a little while longer. Isn't that right, Detective Moakley?"

Her tone left no room for argument and he agreed.

"I can assure you that Miss Gregory will be fine. I will personally make sure that she is unharmed. As for the rest of you, I am asking you to be careful and stay with your security detail."

When they'd left the room, Cam stopped them again. "We aren't done talking."

"Is it really necessary?" Claire asked crossing her arms. "Cam, I'm tired."

"Yes, it's really necessary." Josh replied. "What is going to happen once you guys leave?"

"Nobody said we're fleeing the country, Josh." Dylan answered. "We don't even know if we're leaving yet."

"And if you are?" Chris raised the question. "What happens then?"

Massie looked on the verge of being annoyed, but seemed to think better of it. "What do you mean 'what happens'? Nothing. There's this thing called a cell phone, Chris. We'll keep in touch. Right now, we're just… subtracting ourselves from the equation."

"And what will that solve?" Derrick demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe the killings will stop. Maybe SAM will give up."

"But if he stops, we're out of clues. He'll never be caught." Cam reminded.

"You don't know that. And if he stops, we've won haven't we? Why does it matter really?" Claire asked, but her eyes looked away as she said this. She knew exactly why it mattered.

"Oh, I don't know," Cam muttered darkly, the fury in his eyes palpable, "how about two girls named Regina and Julie? How about Kristen? He'll get away with _everything_."

"We'll come back." Massie promised.

"And if the killing doesn't stop? If it gets worse?" Derrick prodded. "That's the more likely option, Block. I know that you realize that. It's written clear as day on your face."

Massie swallowed and turned away guiltily. She ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at it tightly. "He's probably laughing at us right now. I know that it sounds selfish to leave. I know that. But if we stay, something bad is coming. Come on Derrick," she shook her head, "you saw that tonight. You saw how close he was. It can only get worse."

She finally looked at him pleadingly.

"So then you fight him." He said without sympathy.

"We have." She insisted.

"Fight harder then!" He shouted suddenly. The girls flinched. His voice echoed before leaving them in silence.

Massie stood rigidly at his outburst and then turned away from him again. Her face was unreadable as she chewed her lip with her hands on her hips. She was getting more and more upset by the second and she knew if she kept talking, nothing good would come from it.

"She can't." Dylan said. The red head knew that she should interfere after seeing Massie's face. "She has no fight left in her." She thought of Kristen lying unconscious on the ground. "None of us do."

"That's crap." Cam broke in softly. "You don't get to be cowards now." He grabbed Claire's hands desperately. "Listen to me. You are no coward. I didn't fall for that girl. Do you need me to remind who you are, Claire Lyons? I fell for the girl who singlehandedly took on The Pretty Committee, who'd had a consecutive run of ruining girls' lives, all on her own and earned their respect."

He turned on Alicia quickly. "And Josh fell for the girl who could, on any day of the week, stand on a stage in front of hundreds of people who probably hate her and still look like she belongs there."

And then on Dylan. "And Plovert fell for the girl who had the balls to chug a pack of beer and go cliff-diving in her stilettos to shut up a group of guys who had called her and her friends prissy."

And finally, "And you, Massie fucking Block. The girl whom the world never seems to stop revolving around. The freaking antithesis of cowardice. Derrick did not get two enormous bottles of Ketel One Vodka pumped from his stomach at a hospital outside of Cabo San Lucas two summers ago to forget a girl who claims to have no fight left in her."

Massie's eyes widened as she looked at Derrick but he avoided her eyes. Her initial instinct was to scold him for being so stupid but she shut her mouth and thought about what Cam was saying.

Cam, as always, was right. His speeches could shut just about anybody up. If she and the girls left now, there was no doubt that SAM wouldn't go away. He would go out of his way to get their attention. His murders would be more frequent, more gruesome. Now was not the time to go anywhere.

Massie sighed. "So what happens then? If we stay. What happens?"

"You do what the cops told you." Josh answered. "Stay with your security detail."

"And school?" Alicia asked.

"Maybe it is a good idea to get private tutoring." Cam said. "You could do it from home. I think it would be best if you stay as far away from DA as you can. That placed is packed with people we can't trust."

"And who is going to explain this plan to my dear father who is talking to our parents as we speak?" Massie asked. "I've been walking on eggshells around him. He's mad enough that I've got myself into this mess. I don't think he cares to listen to what I think now."

"That goes for all of us, Mass." Claire replied with a knowing look, "The only time my mom and dad talk to me anymore is to ask where I'm going and who's going to be with me."

"Well my father gives me a dirty look any time I mention I'm hanging out with any of you." Derrick spoke. He looked sheepish at his confession. "It's nothing against who you are as people it's just… He even suggested I cool things off with Block for a while. If anyone would think it's a good idea for you five to leave town, it'd be him."

This was news to Massie, who felt a little hurt that Derrick's father didn't really like her for his son, but she allowed none of what she was feeling to appear on her face.

"Anyone else?" Massie asked.

"I'll speak with my mother." Dylan who, uncharacteristically, had been chewing apart her manicure replied. Of all the girls, Dylan appeared to be the most traumatized about seeing Kristen in that condition. She'd been paralyzed in her screams when she saw Kristen's empty open eyes and still chest. She knew from her anatomy class that the body could only last a few minutes without oxygen before there was damage to the brain. She sincerely hoped that Kristen was okay. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Gregory was taking calls and she refused to leave town without at least seeing her friend healthy and smiling again.

"I'll go now." She said beginning her march to the ballroom where the cops were questioning everyone and her mother was undoubtedly speaking with William Block.

Plovert followed without hesitation, but the rest of them stayed.

"Should we go with them?" Claire asked.

"No." Derrick answered. When the others looked at him, he explained, "Our parents don't particularly like seeing us as a group. As much as they don't want to point fingers, when they see us together they think, _There goes my kid standing with those troublesome kids who have somehow gotten him or her mixed up with the town murderer_. It makes them more eager to tear us apart. From now on, we should all approach our parents alone. Talking to them on our own will have a less negative effect."

"More positive." Alicia said.

"What?" Every head turned to look at her.

"You said 'less negative' effect. Don't you think it's odd that you took the unfavorable route and said that talking to them alone would have a less negative effect versus a more positive one?" Alicia wondered.

They all looked at her. Alicia, too, seemed to be acting weird since they found Kristen but it was totally strange now for Alicia to suddenly start caring about the way people worded things.

Derrick shrugged. "Less negative is more accurate I think. There's nothing positive about this situation anymore."

Alicia said nothing. She seemed to realize that everyone was looking at her and blinked. "I just thought of something. Mass, remember when we were in the 5th grade in Miss Marra's class and there was that freakishly smart girl, Agatha?"

Massie's eyebrows rose at the change of subject, but she answered, "Yeah. Agatha Sims. She would always correct everyone's grammar and stuff. She used to hang out with Kristen until Kris realized how weird she was. After that year, Kristen, you and I were all best friends."

Alicia nodded. "Yeah I remember. But one time, on the bus on our way to the Science Center for our class trip, I said that I hoped that the trip that year would be less boring then the year before. She asked me why I said 'less boring' instead of 'more fun'…. I don't remember what I told her."

The group was quiet at the distant tone in Alicia's voice. She was starting to seriously worry them.

"Alicia." Josh gripped the sides of her face and forced her to look at him. "Are you alright?"

Alicia didn't even appear to notice. Her eyes lit up as she thought about something.

"Leesh, what does Agatha have to do with anything?" Massie asked.

Alicia immediately pulled away from Josh and spoke, "Every year, from second grade on, we had a poetry contest and Agatha always won, Massie. Do you remember why that is?"

Massie said nothing and that was enough of an answer because Alicia continued, "Every year, before she'd read her poem, she'd say, "My name is Agatha Sims, named after the great mystery novelist, Agatha Christie. In honor of her, I incorporated a slightly revised line from one of her works-"

"-into one of my own." Massie finished with her. "What does this have to do with anything, Leesh?"

There was an audible catch in Alicia's breath as she spoke,

"That year she used a line from The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Remember?

_School years rule tears_

_Ridding, forming new fears_

_Growing into people_

_Who've forgotten who we hold dear_

_Cruel, cruel creatures_

_I'm never going to be sure_

_Whether I belong here_

_It hurts, I need a me cure_

_Every single one of us, you can break and you can mend_

_Every single story has a beginning and an end_

_All of us are liars who pretend, pretend, pretend_

_And every single murderer was somebody's old friend."_

Massie held her breath as Alicia finished the end of the poem. Her skin felt white hot, like she was suffocating.

"She lost that year." Alicia whispered. "Miss Marra said that it was too dark and then one day, she didn't come to school. We heard that her parents sent her away to a new school, one where all the kids had problems and were forced to go to therapy."

"How could I have forgotten that?" Massie whispered.

"You didn't. Kristen and I did. You said you recognized those words, remember? Dylan transferred into our school in 6th grade and Claire in 7th. They couldn't have known."

"This is getting weirder and weirder." Cam said.

Josh nodded. "You guys never heard from this girl again?"

Alicia looked at him as if he'd struck her.

"What? What did I say?" He asked.

Massie, whose skin was sheet white, answered for her. "We found out a couple years later, that Agatha killed herself on her thirteenth birthday."

Derrick and Josh both cringed. Claire began to cry softly and Cam held her.

Derrick ran a hand down his face. "How? Or better yet why?"

"She was hit by a car." Massie answered. Her amber eyes never left her shoes as she spoke, "But there were witnesses who said they saw her purposely jump into oncoming traffic."

"Jesus." Cam whispered shielding Claire even further from the story but the blonde girl seemed to get over her tears and pushed him away. She looked eager to hear what Massie what was saying.

"Her parents," Massie spoke, "said that she'd acted fine at her birthday party. I'm guessing she didn't have many friends because only a small group of people were there, but she apparently acted normally and thanked everyone for her gifts. At one point, she got up to go to the bathroom and just… did it."

Derrick grabbed her wrist firmly, but not so hard as to hurt her. He stared into her eyes when she looked up. "So you had nothing to do with it?"

Massie's face immediately hardened and she yanked her arm away. "No, Derrick," she sneered, "I didn't have anything to do with it! How could-How could you even _ask_ that?"

"I'm sorry, Block" He said and the remorse in his voice was strong, "I didn't mean to upset you, but I had to ask. It just seems odd that SAM would send you a memory of this girl if she had no meaningful connection to you."

"But she did." Cam said quickly. "Massie said that she used to be friends with Kristen until Kristen stopped hanging out with her to hang out with you guys. Could that have had a big effect on her and her… depression?"

Alicia wrung her hands and looked at Massie as she spoke, "Probably. We were never really nice to Agatha. We weren't mean either… I mean we were kids. We weren't how we are now. Not yet at least. But I know we weren't her favorite people."

"Alicia," Cam said, "I can tell this isn't an easy subject for you, but you need to let us know. Is there anything that you did specifically to this girl that someone would want to get back at you for?"

Alicia nodded but it was Massie who answered. "After Agatha had read the poem, we were all creeped out. There was just something so off about her, y'know? Me and Leesh used to joke that we didn't even think she was human. We c-couldn't understand," she said uncomfortably, "why she wasn't like the rest of us, why she didn't beg me and Leesh to invite her to our sleepovers like the other girls. So after she read the poem we knew that something was seriously wrong with her. We invited Kristen to sit with us at lunch and together the three of us came up with the idea to steal her journal and write the word, FREAK, on every page. The whole class watched as she burst into tears."

A tear slipped down Alicia's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. She spoke next, "That was the one and only time we'd been outwardly mean to Agatha. I could tell we all felt bad. The three of us were even gonna apologize to her in front of everyone and ask her to sit with us, but she just… never came back to school. Then we heard that her parents sent her away and that was it."

"The album with the repetitive marks makes so much sense now." Cam murmured.

Derrick and Josh, in the mean time, were trying to comfort their equally distressed girlfriends who didn't appear to want comfort or pity. They knew they didn't deserve it.

"Everyone knows that kids can be cruel to each other. Agatha even said it in her poem. But," Massie laughed incredulously, "I never learned, did I? We never learned. It just got worse. And now we're here. Kristen's in the hospital, Dylan's trying to convince our parents not to uproot our entire lives, and the life of every teenage girl in town is on the line."

Claire sighed. "Massie, there is absolutely no way we can change the circumstances now. The only thing we can do is fix things."

Massie nodded. "You're right." Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it.

From: Dylan

It's done. Parents have agreed to compromise on homeschooling and stricter curfews. Me & Chris are getting a ride back with his parents. Good Night. XO.

She voiced the agreement of the parents to everyone and suggested that they follow suit. After private goodbyes and promises of phone calls in the morning, they each parted their separate ways.

That night, as Massie lay in bed with Bean, dozens of questions ran through her mind.

Who knew about Agatha? She'd have to go through her old yearbook in the morning to look at the class list.

Was Kristen okay? She resented Kris' parents for keeping them from her. Did they really think that she or the others would ever knowingly let anything bad happen to her?

What did Derrick think of her? He knew of Massie's past and even who she was now, but she was certain she saw a look of disappointment cross his face when she told the story of what they did to Agatha. She wondered if he was beginning to realize that the girl he claimed to love was just a monster with a pretty face. Insecurities that she thought she'd gotten rid of caused a deep ache in her chest.

Who was SAM? Thinking about him in a room alone made her shudder so she quickly changed the subject of her thoughts.

Would everyone at school know that the Pretty Committee had a major involvement in the recent killings in Westchester? Could she save her reputation after this was over?

Would Lisette be okay? The girl she saw as a big sister was almost murdered tonight. She hated to be grateful that Kristen had to be attacked for the other girl to live, but at least nobody had died tonight. That she could be grateful for.

All this and more plagued her mind all the way until the crack of dawn where she promptly fell asleep.

''

Massie woke up at eleven to a knock on her door. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept in on a Saturday morning and was surprised that it had taken someone this long to wake her.

"Come in." Massie called.

The door opened and her parents stepped inside. William Block looked casual for once in his plain khaki trousers, boat shoes, and an angora pullover by Ralph Lauren for men. Her mother, on the other hand, looked regularly dressed in crocodile Miu Miu heels and a chic Oscar de La Renta pantsuit.

Kendra spoke first. "Honey, we need to talk about some things. We left a lot unsaid last night because we didn't want to upset you more after what happened, but you need to know what is going to happen from this point on."

Massie smothered a yawn and sat upright in her bed. Her parents, taking the cue, came forward and sat on the edge of her mattress.

William spoke now, "First things first, curfew has been pulled back further. I'm sorry, Massie, but it is too dangerous for even seven o'clock now. Your mother and I want you home by five. You are to call your mother if you're going to be late, but that should rarely be the case. Isaac, as you know, drives you and the girls everywhere, and if you're at Harrington's house I want a phone call from his parents. Going to school will be changed, too, seeing as I can't imagine you girl having bodyguards escorting you to your classes as an acceptable option. You will go to school on Monday, have a talk with each of your teachers about what you'll be discussing in class for the next few weeks, and from then on you will have a private tutor. You can explain to your tutor what you're learning and do your best to keep up with your classmates so that when you return and this is all handled, you will not be behind. That's all for now. No objections allowed. Do you understand me?"

Massie bit her lip and nodded.

"Honey, the detectives called. They stopped by the Lyons' and spoken to Claire this morning. Apparently, she had a lot to tell them. They'd like to speak with all of you again. I told them whenever you're ready." Her mother waited, allowing the unspoken question to hang in the air.

Massie cleared her throat to get rid of the hoarseness. "Just let me take a quick shower. I'll been down soon."

Her parents nodded and left her room.

She was still tired and wanted nothing more than to sink back into her duvet and forget the world, but she forced herself to get up and do as she'd told her parents she would.

Thirty minutes later, a record time, she was walking downstairs. She knew she looked nowhere near a ten in her navy oversized Ali Ro cardigan, white silk DKNY blouse, faded Seven for All Mankind jeans, and Louis Vuitton snow boots, but she didn't seemed to mind that morning. Her hair was pulled back in a plain ponytail and her makeup consisted of rosy blush and cherry chapstick. She looked out the window only to see that almost all the snow had melted.

Sometime in the early morning, the temperature had risen and it had rained, leaving a rapidly depleting slush covering the ground. She didn't even care to change her shoes and walked into the dining room where lunch waited for her. After a quick meal of sliced turkey on rye and lemonade, she and her parents got in the car and for the umpteenth time, drove to the Westchester Police Station.

When they arrived, Massie was relieved to see that only the PC and their parents were there. She didn't want Derrick's parents to see her get questioned about her less than saint-like actions again. Knowing that Derrick's dad didn't exactly approve of their relationship bothered Massie.

Detective Falk greeted them and led them inside a room where all the Claire, Alicia, and Dylan were already sitting.

Moakley was seated across from them with a serious look on his face as he intently listened to what Alicia was saying and occasionally wrote something down in his notepad.

"… and for some reason I suddenly remembered." Alicia spoke. There was no emotion in her voice. She, too, looked very tired and her eyes were glued to something outside the window. "I don't know why it came to me, but that's how it happened."

Claire and Dylan sat silently beside her. Claire was bouncing her knee as if she was itching to be anywhere but there and that confused Massie. Claire was probably the most patient person she knew. She turned her gaze to Dylan. Dylan's face gave away nothing but her hands were balled into fists in her lap.

She was unsure if whether something had happened or if they were still upset about last night. Suddenly, she wished she had gotten there sooner.

"Miss Block," Moakley said, his eyes never leaving Alicia's face, "please take a seat next to Miss Lyons."

Massie, not in the mood to give him a hard time, did as she was asked.

When Alicia finished recounting the previous night and everything they'd learned, Moakley turned his attention to Massie.

"Anything you want to add?" Moakley asked her.

She shook her head and answered with a dull, "No."

Falk, after having left the room, returned with a sheet of paper. She placed it in front of the girls.

"These are the list of kids in your class during the 5th grade at Eloise Elementary. Who do you still know now?" She slapped a pen in front of them.

Alicia's frail looking hand reached for the pen and began circling. In the end, fifteen names remained.

LAYNE ABELEY

TRINITY THOMAS

KEVIN DENNER

DEMPSEY SOLOMON

OLIVIA RYAN

BRUCE VILAS

KORI GEDMAN

STRAWBERRY MCADAMS

YESSENIA DEL REA

DEAN KOSCOWITZ

AMY ECKHERD

PARKER BRADLEY

CARLA WILDE

DANIEL OKO

ADELAIDE JEFFERSON

She slid it over to Massie who just nodded her head and pushed it forward.

"Okay," Falk said slowly as she read over the list of names, "now of these fifteen, who do all of you know, Miss Lyons and Marvil included, that would have something against you?"

Claire, this time, took the list looked at it and handed it back.

"Well?" Moakley asked.

"That's it. Everyone stays."

"All fifteen?" Moakley asked in disbelief. He stared at them for a few seconds before continuing, "We're not counting minor grudges. I'm talking about substantial reasons to hate you, to want to see something very bad happen to you."

Massie nodded. "We're well aware of that. If not by direct offense, we're indirectly involved with some wrongdoing or other concerning someone on that list." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't pinpoint an exact reason. There are probably dozens."

Moakley looked like he wanted to give up right there and then. Instead, he sighed, handed the list to Falk.

"_Okay then…_ how does this work?" He sat down and clasped his hands, looking like a schoolchild ready to learn. "You're at the top of the food chain, but nobody wants you there. Then why are you still on top?"

"Because the only reason we're hated is because we're loved." Alicia replied quietly. "Our peers know that they need us. Kids from our neck of the woods want to feel important. They want to know it means something to go to Denwood-Ames. Kids that go to Abner Double Day hear about us and when they do, Denwood-Ames kids, geek or not, are all silently praying that they're jealous. And they are. They hear the stories about the elite, but we're the living proof. The Pretty Committee. Always pretty, always perfect."

"And who decided that the five of you are the most pretty and perfect?" He questioned, genuinely curious.

Dylan smiled, lighting up her beautiful face. "The same people trying to bring us down. Didn't you ever hear that you're nobody until somebody hates you? Well in doing so, they've made us into supreme somebodies. They made us matter and then they punish us because we do." She leaned back in her chair still smiling. Her eyes were locked on the ceiling.

"Then why would you want to be on top?" Falk asked.

Claire answered this time. She had stopped shaking her knee after Moakley took the list back. Her expression was amused but unlike Dylan she didn't smile, "You know I used to wonder what the answer to that question was? But I figured it out. Popularity is the most glamorous form of suffering. Coming from someone who's been on both ends of the spectrum, I can promise you that being on top isn't for everyone. But it's a hell of a lot more fun."

"Fun got you here." Moakley said, finding nothing about the topic amusing.

Dylan's smile faded. "Yeah." She said seriously again. "But on my way here I met the four greatest girls I've ever known."

''

**Like I said… not so action-packed but necessary. I think you'll all enjoy the next few chapters. Our finale is approaching and I can't wait to spring it on you! Review please.**


	21. Chapter 21

***I own absolutely nothing of consequence. The Clique is a work of Lisi Harrison.***

**When you're assigned 4 research papers over the course of a month and you're a member of the dance team, the softball team, and you have a job, it gets hard to update. I understand your frustration completely and I apologize wholeheartedly. I wish I had time to write. I really do. It's my passion, the only thing I've ever loved to do, but it has been really hard on me.**

**Thank you for the readers that have stayed with me. I love you all. I got a review recently that upset me because I honestly am trying hard to write quality stuff that you want to read. I could update quicker but I doubt that my editing would be any good.**

**Please Enjoy. xoxoxoxoxo**

Chapter 21

By the time the talk with the detectives was over, it was just past 3 o'clock. The rest of the interrogation has consisted mostly of them discussing in length the meaning behind the notes. Several times, the PC had silenced their phones because the guys were trying to call them. As the girls left the police station, Massie called Derrington back. He didn't answer. She left a voicemail.

"Derrick, I just left the police station. Sorry I missed your calls. I'm spending the day with my parents, but for the most part, I'll be at home. Drop by if you can, kay? Love you." When she hung up, she turned to look at her friends.

Claire and Alicia were speaking softly on the phone, presumably with Cam and Josh and Dylan was texting. After typing in a message and sending it, the red head looked up to see Massie watching her.

"You okay?" She asked with concern.

"I could ask you the same thing." Massie answered. "What the hell was going on in there?"

"What do you mean?"

Massie gauged her reaction first before saying, "I mean that all of you were acting kind of weird. What's up? Is there something I should know?"

Dylan sighed. "Oh. We were all just anxious to get out of there. Did you see that they were filming us while they were asking us questions this time? What was that about?"

Massie hesitated to answer again. Was Dylan changing the subject or was she actually curious about the cameras? She honestly didn't know this time.

The downside of having friends who were just like her meant that they were very good liars. But then again, having SAM on the loose made her untrustworthy of everyone. Should she really be aiming her suspicion at her best friends right now? She shrugged off her suspicion and answered.

"I noticed them too." Massie said. "Maybe Moakley's filming us because he wants to go back and watch the tapes. He's still a little wary of our honesty, you know. He might want to check them out to look at our reactions to certain questions and stuff. It's what I would do."

Dylan nodded.

And it was like they had nothing else to talk about.

Never, in any year of their friendship, had they ever not had anything to say to each other. But now, with a killer standing in higher priority than clothes and gossip, it was silent. Talking about SAM was out of the question seeing as it was a topic that took up most of their time already and talking about anything else seemed pointless and phony. They could no longer pretend that things were going alright for them. What happened to Kristen was the most terribly effective form of a wakeup call.

Massie hated SAM at that exact moment more than she ever had before. She thought that it was impossible but apparently not. Her friendships, something she valued more than anything, brought her equal amounts of fear as they did comfort.

"Well I have to go," Dylan said. The sadness in her green eyes conveyed everything that Massie had just realized. This situation was changing them all into different people, people who no longer knew how to react around each other.

With a hug, Massie let her go. Claire and Alicia, with their phones pressed to their ears, turned around to watch Dylan leave and sent small waves goodbye to both her and Massie. Massie nodded and waved back before getting into the Range Rover with her parents.

"Honey," her mother immediately said, "I have good news. I called up a tutor while you were speaking with the police and she said she can start with you on Tuesday morning. Her name is Meg Jenson. She's a Columbia graduate and a-"

Massie drowned out her mother's ramblings and thought of being anywhere else, somewhere far, far away from home. She felt alone. Her friends couldn't comfort her because they were in the same boat as she was and her parents were too concerned with her safety to care about her feelings.

She wanted Derrick, the one person who always wanted to know her feelings regardless of the reasoning behind them. She wanted him to be next to her, making stupid jokes and teasing a finger along the hem of her shirt in that annoyingly familiar way of his. They hadn't been dating long, but she felt like they had been. To her surprise, the two of them had fallen back into a relationship like a pair of comfortable jeans.

It felt right to be with him.

And she knew for a fact that she would've probably suffered a mental breakdown if he hadn't been with her these past few days. As per usual, her thoughts about him started heading in a different direction and she began to think of the warm, muscled body that always seemed to be invading her space and the girly eyelashes and teasing lips that melted her heart.

Her thoughts were snapped back into action when her father called her name.

"Massie, are you listening to your mother?"

Massie rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes. Got it. New tutor on Tuesday. Meg Jenson."

"Don't forget to get all your work tomorrow at school." He said sternly. "I don't want you falling behind. Home schooling isn't an excuse to be a slacker."

Massie didn't answer. Instead she checked her phone for a call from Derrick. There was nothing.

Her parents seemed to give up on getting through to her at that point and spoke only to each other for the rest of the ride home. When they got there, she immediately ran to her room to be away from them.

While she was upstairs, she got a text.

From: Lisette

Mass, are you alright? I didn't get to talk to you at all last night after everything happened!

Massie replied quickly.

Yeah. I'm fine. The only thing bothering me is Kristen's parents. They still haven't lifted the restriction on visitors. Kemp says she's awake and she doing okay though. What about you?

From: Lisette

I sent her flowers. I hope she got them. And I'm okay too. Just a little shaken up. But dude the cops kept asking me questions even after everyone had gone. It was so weird. Now I know how you feel.

From: Massie

Liz please be careful. I know that this whole thing has nothing to do with you but it doesn't matter. You could get hurt. Promise me you won't go anywhere alone.

From: Lisette

Promise. My parents are freaked that I was so close by when she was attacked. How are your mom and dad handling this?

From: Massie

They're not. They think that by controlling every single move I make that things will get easier. I can't leave the house right now, so I'm just trying not to go crazy.

From: Lisette

So call up the boyfriend. Have a little down time together. Be coupley for once.

From: Massie

I would but he's not answering his cell. What about you? I really hope the town hysteria isn't affecting your love life.

From: Lisette

Welllll A.J. called me a little while ago. He made my day marginally better.

Massie smiled at this. She briefly considered telling Lisette the truth about SAM's plans last night but decided against it. There must have been a reason the detectives didn't tell her. The more she knew, the more danger she was in.

From: Massie

A.J. huh? So I'm guessing that my matchmaking was a success. Did you two hit it off?

From: Lisette

We did. We're actually supposed to hang out in an hour. I think I really like this kid.

From: Massie

Well I'm glad it worked out then. ;) I knew you guys would work. Derrick didn't want me to introduce you guys. He thinks A.J.'s bad news.

From: Lisette

He probably is. And that's why I like him.

From: Massie

Then I'm happy I did it. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?

From: Lisette

Yes. ;) I'll let you know how it goes.

From: Massie

You better.

Massie felt the ache in her throat ease a little at knowing that Lisette was okay. She'd been right about A.J. though. He liked Lisette and from what Lisette had told her, they'd be spending a lot of time together. Hopefully A.J.'s dark past and buff build would keep SAM walking in the opposite direction.

She was now itching to go to the hospital to see Kristen. Massie'd heard many reports that the girl was doing fine, but until she saw it with her own two eyes, her nerves weren't settled.

To stop herself from demanding her parents get her into Kristen's hospital room, she tried Derrick two more times. She got no answer.

Without any distractions, she realized how tired she still was. Calling it a day before the sun had even gone down, she got into one of her cream-colored silk nightgowns and went back to bed.

''

It was many hours later when she woke up.

She glanced around her room to see that it was completely dark. She glanced on the floor next to her to see Bean sleeping peacefully in his Burberry doggy bed. She checked her phone to see that it was a few minutes before midnight. She'd had two missed calls from Derrick and a text. The times told her that she'd only gotten them a few minutes ago. The vibrations must have woken her up.

She checked the text.

From: Derrick

Downstairs. I'm coming up so don't be scared. It's only me.

Massie sat up immediately and looked around her room. Nobody was there. She got out of bed and looked out the window. Then she remembered that Derrick still knew where the spare key was. Any second, he'd be coming in from her bathroom. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light, checking herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were still sleepy looking, her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and there were pillow marks on her face. She yanked the hair tie out of her hair and wiped the crust out of her eyes. Before she could do anything else, the door was opening and Derrick stepped inside.

His coat was still on and his nose was red from the chilly weather, but he looked amazing to her. Without thinking, she lunged at him. He scooped her up into a hug and held her tight letting her know that he, too, had been missing her all day. The fabric of his coat felt like ice against her heated skin, but she didn't care. She tried to warm him by bringing her hands to his face. He seemed to bask in it and brought his head between her neck and shoulder. After another minute, he set her down.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Derrick took a moment to respond, caressing her cheek. He smiled softly. "You were sleeping."

"It's fine. I was going to wake up anyway. I've been sleeping for hours." She shook her head remembering what she was saying before. "Derrick, what are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to be out at night. Something could happen to you."

He shook his head. "I wasn't alone. Cam came with me. He's sneaking into Claire's as we speak." He leaned down to kiss her and she responded eagerly. His mouth was aggressive and his hand pulled her body tightly into his. She pulled away, attempting to maintain the conversation even though she really didn't want to.

"I tried calling you."

"I know. But my grandparents came to Westchester this afternoon. They're driving down to the Poconos and stopped at our house. My mother forbade any phone calls." He explained. He tried kissing her again but she pulled her head back a little to keep speaking.

"So you snuck over? What if your parents find out?"

"Chill, Block," he pecked her lips, "my parents know I sleep in late on Sundays. Even if my grandparents are here, nobody will be up to wake me until at least eleven. I wanted to sleep here tonight. I missed you all day."

"Me too." This time she initiated the kiss.

He pulled away and she saw him observe her from head to toe before smiling. "Be honest, when I texted you to tell you I was coming up here, did you change into this," He ran his hands across the back of her night slip, "or is this what you actually sleep in?"

Massie laughed. "You know," she said getting on her tip toes and sliding her arms around his neck, "if you think this is hot, you should see some of the stuff Leesh and Dylan bought me as gag gifts. It would make you blush."

He snorted. "I haven't blushed over a half naked girl since I was thirteen."

She smacked him lightly on the back. "You're supposed to say, 'Of course I would, Massie, because you're the sexiest girl on Earth.'"

This time Derrick laughed. "If I say it, will you answer my question?"

"Does it really matter if I changed or not? I'm standing here in front of you in a thin layer of clothing and you haven't really touched me yet."

Derrick raised an eyebrow in interest.

They exchanged a heated look before lunging at each other again. Their lips met in the middle.

With their lips still attached she ran her hand down the bathroom wall until it came into contact with the light switch turning it off. They both stumbled back into her bedroom. Massie ignored the urge that told her to tell him to take his shoes off her carpet and dragged him to her bed. The back of her knees hit the bed and they both fell over with him on top.

Derrick pushed himself up to quickly remove his boots while she unzipped his coat. When they were tossed on the floor, she pulled him back on top of her.

This kiss was different from any kiss they'd ever shared. For some reason, both of them were suddenly scared of losing the other. And not in the normal way. Not in the I-don't-want-to-break-up way. More like the lets-be-together-like-its-the-last-time way. The way that teenagers shouldn't be worrying about.

Massie hated that Derrick was outside just a moment ago. She imagined SAM lurking outside of her house and watching him sneak in. She imagined Derrick with his back turned trying to open the gardening box in the dark to get the spare key and SAM catching him off guard. She squeezed her eyes tighter to shut out the image and ran her fingers under his shirt. Without another thought, she pulled the shirt up. Derrick pulled back again and let her take it off. With his warm skin against her, she felt goosebumps run through her.

Derrick began touching her everywhere. He grabbed at every part of her impatiently, rubbing his hands across her face, her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her thighs…

She, in response, opened her legs wide and wrapped them around him bringing him in closer. His mouth was minty, but he smelled like smoke and she realized that he must've smoked before he came there. She recalled the cigarette hanging sexily from his lips the one time she'd see him do it and made a mental note to somehow get him to quit the nasty habit.

As his fingers trailed lightly across her neck, her skin felt on fire and she knew how this night would end. Derrick slid the straps of her night slip down her shoulders, leaving the scrappy article of clothing halfway on her. The cool air chilled her exposed breasts and she shivered when his mouth latched onto one of her nipples and his hand massaged the other. She made the first noise since they'd started and moaned. Her fingers gripped the hair at the nape of his neck and that seemed to encourage him because he began to plant hot, open-mouthed kisses everywhere. Her arousal was making her squirm.

"Derrick…" she gasped. " I-"

He already knew what she was going to say and pulled away. Massie looked at him in confusion.

"What's up?"

"I-" his pale chest heaved as he hesitated to keep speaking, "I didn't come here for this, Block. I just- I don't want you to think that I want-"

Massie sat up, ignoring her exposed chest, "I know you didn't. But I want this."

Derrick shook his head. "You think you do because you're scared."

Massie sat and waited for him to explain and he did.

"I can tell that you're freaked out. I am too. And I don't know what's going to happen to any of us. I'm terrified any time any of you guys call me that I'm going to hear that so-and-so's in the hospital or worse. Kristen is my friend. And more importantly she's your friend and Kemp's girl. If it could happen to her, it could happen to you."

"But-"

"Wait." He said sitting up completely. Massie sat up with him. "Let me finish."

Massie sighed impatiently but nodded.

"I lied about why I came here… I mean I did miss you, but that wasn't what got me sneaking into your house tonight."

Her head tilted to the side, having already known that he wasn't being completely truthful when he'd said that. She waited semi-nervously.

"My house is closest to the hospital so today Kemp came by to take a shower, borrow some clothes, and hurry back. Cam had come by, too, to get his laptop because he'd left it at my place. We watched him, Cam and me, and he was a wreck. His hands were shaking and he was rushing like he was about to be out of time or something. We asked him what was wrong and he admitted that Kristen wasn't doing as well as he'd explained on the phone. He didn't want to worry us. But apparently she's been having problems breathing and they've got her on a ventilator. He said that her hands are always cold and she doesn't speak. He's angry and scared and honestly, I don't think I've _ever_ seen Kemp this out of whack a day in his life. He always the cocky and calm one. After he left, Cam and I got really nervous, thinking about how we hadn't seen you or Claire all day. We made a plan to check on you both tonight and make sure that you were okay."

Massie sat in shock for a few seconds. Her mind was stuck on Kristen. Her friend needed her.

"Oh my God." Massie whispered, thinking about Kristen. "I have to see her. I don't care what I have to do. She has to know that I'm there for her."

"I know." He put an arm around her and kissed her forehead. "We'll go first thing tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I kept it from you. I just… didn't want to worry you. Kemp told me that the doctors aren't worried yet. They're convinced that it's all a temporary symptom of the drug SAM used."

Massie nodded. "She'll be okay, right?" Her voice was very small.

He nodded back. "Yeah. Yeah of course she will."

Massie sat still for a second as Derrick watched her face. She looked back at him.

His cheeks were flushed, his lips were swollen and his hair was sticking up in different directions. His body was illuminated in the moonlight shining through her window and she could see every freckle on his skin and the patch of hair that trailed from his abdomen down to his belt buckle, a place she found herself eager to know as well as she did the rest of him.

Without warning, she leapt forward and kissed him again with new fervor. He was taken aback and it took him a few seconds, but eventually he began to respond. When her hand went to his belt buckle, he backed away as if she'd burned him.

"Block," he said in a warning tone, "what are you doing?"

"What you told me didn't change my mind. If anything, it made me more sure of myself. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, Derrick. Our future is becoming less and less certain every single second and I don't want to wait anymore with you. I love you." As she whispered this, she looked into his eyes pleading with him to believe her, "I love you, okay? I have for a long time. I want you to be first. Hell, I want you to be second. And third. And…you get what I mean. I know you know how important this is to me and that's why you're hesitating, but I'm telling you right now. **Don't**."

He smiled, "We can wait. We have plenty of time, Block. Way to be optimistic."

She didn't smile back, "I'm not joking." She swallowed back the lump forming in her throat, "Let's not lie to each other anymore, okay? He could come for me."

Derrick wasn't smiling anymore. Just as she was going to keep talking, he opened his eyes again.

Derrick stared at her for a moment, before he nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" She smiled wrapping her arms around his neck.

He smiled back and nodded, his warm eyes flicking over every centimeter of her face in the moonlight. "Okay."

They fell back easily into their kisses and in a short time, they were both completely undressed. This time he was less hurried and though he held her firmly still, he was far gentler.

"I don't have a condom." He told her.

"That's okay." She told him. "My mother got me on the pill the day I started high school. She freaked out after hearing the going rate of teen pregnancies in the U.S."

She gazed at his body out of curiosity, never having been this close to a completely naked guy and he gazed at her body in awe, never having thought that he'd get to this point. He oddly remembered meeting her for the first time, when they were both twelve years old. He'd thought she was one of the hottest girls he'd ever seen. If only the old him could see what he saw now. If only the old him could know what he knew now.

He kissed her soundly and she fell into the kiss easily but wondered why he wasn't doing anything else. For a second, she thought he would say he was sorry and stop but instead he reached around to her back and pulled her body into his. She pressed herself into him as placed kisses down her neck that trailed to her torso. When she arched her back, his fingers trailed lightly over her ribs that poked out visibly. His hand dipped between her legs and his fingers brushed across her center. Her mouth fell open and took that opportunity to attach his mouth to hers in a searing kiss.

As his tongue entered her mouth, a finger slid into her wet core. She began panting, both out of nervousness and pleasure. It was obvious that he'd done this before, and on more than one occasion. She recalled the betrayal she'd felt when she heard Olivia Ryan brag about them losing it to each other. Now, it didn't bother her so much. She was kind of glad that at least one of them knew what they were doing. She was pretty sure that between she and Olivia, her experience was going to be far better.

When he inserted another finger, she let out a loud moan and felt warmth pool where his fingers massaged her. Derrick stopped his ministrations and chuckled.

"Shhhh," He grinned, "the last thing I want is for your parents to come in here."

She laughed and leaned forward bringing her head off the pillow, "Well then kiss me and maybe they won't hear."

His fingers continued to pump in and out of her for a few minutes as they kissed. She almost didn't notice when he moved to replace his fingers. Almost.

As he entered her partially, she winced and broke their kiss.

"Relax." He whispered. "It'll hurt less."

She nodded and kissed him again, this time harder to somehow make her forget the pain she was feeling. As they kept kissing, he inched into her further and further. She whimpered at the stretching sensation she was feeling but lifted her hips to help him enter her deeper. When he was fully inside her he stopped, waiting for Massie to adjust.

Massie breathed and looked into his eyes. They were such a pretty brown. She could honestly stare into them for hours and not get bored. At this very moment, she was amazed at the idea of sex. He was physically all male and she all woman and their bodies were now connected in the most natural way possible. Her amazement overrode her pain and gradually, she didn't feel any of the latter.

She rolled her hips experimentally and this time it was Derrick who groaned loudly. She stopped.

"Sorry." She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her. "Don't apologize. That wasn't a bad thing. You okay now?"

"Mmmhmm."

Derrick then slowly moved his hips forward. Massie was surprised that it no longer felt that painful. A second later, it was a whole new feeling completely. It was a new type of pain, one that left her body craving more of it. She began to meet his thrusts with some of her own and in no time, they had a rhythm.

Initially, Derrick had watched her face, looking to see what she liked and didn't like but after a couple of minutes he seemed to get lost in her and moved without thought. Their movements then got sloppier but neither of them cared. Their only goal was to be closer to each other. Their faces remained close and their breaths were interchangeable as he planted kisses on her panting mouth over and over again.

When he shifted his hips, Massie began gasping for breath and raking her fingernails down his back. She felt a buildup of something, but was unsure of what she was supposed to be waiting for. She clenched around him, wanting to get closer though it wasn't physically possible. This caused Derrick's eyes to roll behind his head and a loud gasp to escape his lips.

He couldn't believe he was there at that moment with the girl he had pined for and lusted after for years, a girl that other guys were fighting to be with. She was infuriating and beautiful and… and…

And _**God**_ she was so tight. So unbelievably tight. He brought his hands down to her knees and pressed them flat against the mattress, stretching her thighs out wider than they'd ever been and effectively driving himself deeper into her. It didn't occur to him that he might be hurting her but she didn't seem to care as she moaned wantonly and let out a slew of curses. She tightened her grip on his shoulders as he hit an unbelievably sensitive spot.

He let out a guttural noise and she smothered her moan by biting his shoulder. She came seconds before he did.

When it was over, he tiredly rolled next to her. She turned to face him and he moved to face her. They stayed like that, not touching, only watching each other for a long time. Finally, Derrick reached over to grab his boxers and the sheet that had fallen onto the floor. At the same time, Massie put her slip back on. He put his boxers on and laid the sheet over the both of them.

"That was not what I expected." Massie said chewing the inside if her thumb thoughtfully.

Derrick's eyebrows rose, "That's not exactly what a guy wants to hear after he has sex with his girlfriend for the first time."

Massie grinned. "I meant it in a good way. Don't worry. I just hear these loss-of-virginity horror stories about pain and discomfort and awkwardness." She rolled onto her back. "But you're pretty good at that, Harrington. It was… good. Great actually. Not that I have anything to compare it to but… you know."

"Good." He said softly. "I'm glad."

They laid and watched the ceiling for a while and then he spoke slowly, wanting her to hear clearly what he had to say,

"I know that you know that you're not my first. I don't even know what number you are."

She internally flinched, but waited because she knew he wasn't done.

"I was such an asshole last year and I didn't even realize. I hate who I used to be. I hate it. And it scares me that a part of that guy is still in me. It was at the state game when it hit me. We'd just won the game and the whole crowd rushed the field and all these girls are coming at me and giving me hugs and kisses on the cheek. I look around and I see you and your friends smiling, but you haven't moved. You're just sitting there on the highest set of bleachers, like a bunch of queens, watching everyone celebrate."

"And then you got up and for a second, I thought you'd come over to congratulate us. I look over and see Plovert and it looks like he's thinking the same thing. But you don't. You walk right past everyone and leave. And on the way out, you pass by O'Malley who's got his girlfriend lifted halfway in the air and he's never looked happier. And I realize that I don't want to see you walk away from me. I realize thatI want to be in that one boy-one girl kind of love. The next day, when Josh announced he was throwing his victory party, I forced him to invite you guys. He didn't want to. Like me, he was scared. But I just wanted to know if there was any possibility you'd ever feel that way about me again. Hands down, best decision I've ever made. And now... we're here. Me and you. And even though I'm sounding more and more like a total pansy, I had to say this because I want you to know that this was special to me too. Because even though I'm no Cam Fisher, Block, I figured that if I was going to try to be this big romantic, I only wanted to do it with you. Because I love your crazy ass, Block."

He waited for Massie's reaction and it came a few seconds later,

"Can you record that speech on tape so that in the future, when you're pissing me off, I can remind myself why I'm having sex with you?"

Derrick burst into laughter and finally moved closer to her laying his head on her chest.

She accepted him into her arms, cradling his head and began playing with his hair fondly. "I love you too." She whispered.

After talking lightly about everything and nothing, Derrick passed out in exhaustion and she listened to his even breathing until dawn where she promptly fell asleep curled up with him.

''

The next morning, Massie woke up feeling incredibly hot. She looked around her to see that Derrick was asleep on top of her. The heat of their bodies was causing her to sweat. She didn't want to wake him up but had to push him off of her. He stirred but didn't wake up when she pushed him away. She sat up and saw Derrick's clothes tossed onto the floor.

She was no longer a virgin.

It felt… odd.

She did feel different. When Massie had asked Alicia, she'd told her that she would feel like everything was the same, but only different which hadn't made much sense at the time. But it did now.

She checked the time. It was only 7:56. She'd gotten too much sleep yesterday. At least, she would be well rested for school tomorrow. She turned to look at the head of the blonde hair that was sleeping so peacefully on her pillow and briefly imagined it being like this, except they were older and married. Suddenly, she felt like a silly schoolgirl getting ahead of herself and pushed away those thoughts.

Getting out of bed, she trudged over her carpet barefoot and entered the bathroom. Pulling off her slip, she glanced at her body in the mirror. There were hickeys all over her torso. She wondered if Derrick had marked her on purpose. She had noticed that there were nasty scratch marks across his back and felt embarrassed that her pleasure would be so obvious to anyone who happened to catch Derrick without a shirt on. Getting into the shower, she washed away all the stickiness and sweat that had formed last night. It stung to wash herself down there, but she knew that that was normal. After washing her hair she got out of the shower. She chewed her lip as she stood in her closet looking for an outfit. It astounded her that she was standing in nothing but a towel picking out clothing while her boyfriend slept almost fully naked in her bed in the next room.

Finally deciding on a tight grey cashmere J. Crew pullover, black True Religion skinny jeans, and black high heeled Stella McCartney boots, she left her closet. She got dressed in the bathroom and blow dried and straightened her hair in 45 minutes. Her makeup was a little more dramatic than the day before, with silver eye shadow, black rimmed eyes, and nude lips. She had gotten additional ear piercings in her cartilage in September and decided to put in the tiny ruby earrings Alicia had gotten her for Christmas. She stood and pondered what was missing before hurriedly moving to her bottle of Chanel number 19. After three quick sprays, she was ready.

All in all, she looked a perfect 10 today. The boots were new so she didn't mind walking with them on the white carpet of her room, but she glanced at Derrick's boots resting by her bed with distaste and moved them to her closet. Her morning wasn't exactly a regular one at all for her, but she actually felt more normal than she had in days.

Massie checked the time again and it was now 9 o'clock. Breakfast was on the table and she knew she should go down now. Her parents hadn't seen her since she'd gone up the stairs yesterday. But before she did, she walked over to her bed and looked at Derrick. He had rolled over and was on his back now. His mouth was a little open and his face looked adorably innocent. She got on the bed and brought one of her knees over his hips straddling him. She sat down on his lower stomach, but close enough to feel his morning erection. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear.

"Wakey, wakey. Momma has to go to work."

She watched Derrick's face slowly morph into one of consciousness.

"Hey. Remember where you are, sleepyhead?" She grinned.

He looked around them before looking at her outfit. He stared at her for a long moment before bringing his hands to her hips.

"I could get used to this." He croaked in his morning voice.

"I'll be sure to tell my father that so that he knows not to barge in on Sunday mornings." She teased.

"When did you get dressed?"

"A while ago? You're a deep sleeper. I sat on you and you didn't even move."

"You look great."

"Don't I always?

"Eh." He said noncommittally.

She gasped in offense. "Don't I always?" She asked again moving her body so that she sat directly in his lap. The friction made him hiss.

He moaned and kept a firm hold on her hips, keeping her there. "Always." He agreed. He rolled them over so that she was under him.

"Derrick, I gotta go." Massie replied. "Kendra and William will grow worried and come looking for me."

He kissed the corner of her mouth. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"No." She said pushing him off. "We wouldn't. Now go shower. There are spare toothbrushes under my sink. I'll sneak a muffin and orange juice up here in a bit."

Massie left her room and walked down the stairs. For some reason, the walk that she took every morning to get to the breakfast table seemed longer. She felt a little nervous that her parents would notice that the same girl who went up the stairs yesterday was not the same one who stood in front of them today.

When she got there, her father was working on an omelet as Elsa served him orange juice and her mother was drinking a cup of coffee as she nibbled on a rice cake covered with a thin layer of almond butter.

She greeted both of them with a kiss on the cheek as usual but froze when she noticed them watching her.

Her heart pounded as she looked back at them. "What?" She squeaked.

"Well," her father said, "my colleague wanted to stop by today to talk about the auction you threw. He congratulates you on your success and was impressed by your ambition. He says that he has something to say that you might be interested in. I've heard his offer. I won't tell you all the details, I'll leave that to him, but I think it'd be good for you. You need to get away, Massie. Grow some experience. Learn some things."

Massie stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a study abroad program." Her mother said. "You'd earn all your high school credits-"

"No." Massie cut her off harshly.

"Massie," her father warned.

"No!" She said loudly, just a decibel from yelling. Seeing their shocked faces, she lowered her voice. "I agreed to the private tutoring and the curfew. I agreed to opening up and telling you everything I knew. I agreed to staying in this house like I'm supposed to without arguing. But I won't agree to this. I have a life here. I have friends that I look after and who look after me. I have you, my parents. I have Derrick."

"Your friends will still be here when you get back." Her father said, clearly trying to keep his voice even. "And you want a boyfriend? James has a fine son who I know for a fact is interested in getting to know you."

"Dad," she said in frustration, "you cannot possibly be serious. I don't want to leave my friends. Especially not now. And I couldn't care less if James' son is interested in me. I'm with Derrick. You haven't even had the chance to get to know him and you're already trying to get me to break up with him."

"Don't make this into something it's not. I don't have anything against the boy, but you've been with him for a short time, Massie. There will be other boys in other towns." Her father said exasperatedly.

Suddenly, Massie became keenly aware of the soreness between her legs and the bruises shaped like fingers on her thighs and felt glee at her defiance. She knew he could never know but it still felt good to know that she'd made a decision that her father would've hated if he did. If her father knew what she'd done with Derrick right under his nose last night, she would be on the next flight to a German boarding school and Derrick would be severely injured.

"I'm not making this into anything. You are." She said coldly. "And I don't care. I don't want anyone else."

"You know what?" Her mother held up her hands as a mediator, "Is she likes the boy, Will, we can't stop her. Massie, you and Derrick can still see each other while you do the program. You'll have regular weekends and holidays. Every once in a while, you can fly back here from wherever you are and see each other."

"I don't care, mom." Massie repeated stubbornly. She was not going to budge on her refusal. No way in hell. "I don't want to do any programs. I like my school. I like my life. It's far from perfect but it's mine and I don't want another one. I appreciate the offer. Thanks but no thanks. I'm staying in Westchester."

Her father threw his napkin on the table. "If this is about that boy-"

"_That boy _has a name. It's Derrick. And no, this isn't about him. This is about me and what _I _want. I'd be miserable away from here. Please don't do that to me. I'm having a hard enough time as it is. Don't make it any harder."

When they said nothing she spoke again, "I think I'll take my breakfast upstairs."

She filled up a small plate with strawberries and picked up a chocolate chip muffin. Before she went upstairs she went to the kitchen and grabbed a mini jug of Tropicana orange juice. Balancing it all in her arms, she headed upstairs.

When she came back into her room, Derrick was just getting out of bed. He must've tried to go back to sleep after she left.

"Well that was quick." He muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I know. I didn't even sit down at the table before they started ordering me around." She sighed plopping down on the bed next to him. "I couldn't take it. I told them I'd be having breakfast in my room." She handed him the muffin and orange juice. "Here. Eat up."

"That's all you're eating?" He asked looking at her strawberries.

She bit into one of them. "Mmmhmm. They're my favorite."

He watched her eat before taking the plate from her. He set his food and hers aside and dragged her down on the bed with him. His ran his hands up her sides causing her to shiver.

"What are you doing?" She asked, surprised at how husky her voice sounded.

He didn't answer for answer for a moment. She watched him caress every curve on her body before he answered, "I really like this sweater."

Massie smirked at his excuse. "Really? You seem pretty interested in it."

He planted a soft kiss against her throat. "I am. I wonder what it'll look like on the floor."

Massie made sure to lock her door as both of them found out.

''

It was right before 11 o'clock when Derrick decided he had to get home before anyone had realized that he'd been gone. Cam had texted him saying that it was time to go and he and Massie had untangled themselves from each other's arms so that he could leave.

As Massie sat up on her elbows, watching Derrick get dressed after taking a quick shower, she realized that Cam must have been at Claire's house all this time too. Gossip points were going to have to be exchanged soon.

She actually felt like laughing about it. Claire Lyons was officially a rebel.

It pleased her to know that though SAM was effectively ruining everything for them, they still managed to keep their boyfriends pretty happy.

"I'll be back in a little bit so that we can head over to see Kristen at the hospital," He said tying the lace on his left boot.

"Okay," she said softly.

"Hey," he said concernedly placing a hand on her ankle, "You okay?"

She nodded. "Just nervous. I want to see her, but I know that as soon as I see her like Kemp described it's gonna kill me."

"Don't worry." He soothed. "We'll all be there with you. We're not gonna let anything like this happen to her again."

She sat up, holding the sheet to her chest halfheartedly, and brought his face to hers. After a kiss that lasted a little longer than it should've, he was gone. After he left, Massie trudged back into the bathroom to freshen up and shut the door.

It was only twenty minutes later that she was done. Walking down the stairs, she grabbed her coat and found her mother speaking on the phone.

"Mom, I'm heading over to Claire's."

Her mother apologized to the person on the phone and turned to Massie, "How long will you be?"

"I don't know." She replied. "We were thinking of going to see Kristen soon though. I'll call you to let you know."

Her mother hesitated, something she never used to do. Finally she settled on saying, "Alright. Be careful. And if you do go to see Kristen, have Isaac drive you."

Massie nodded and left before any more rules could be laid down.

She got to the Lyons' without incident and Todd answered the door when she knocked. She didn't fail to notice the way Todd Lyons gave her a once over as she stood in front of him. He'd had a crush on her ever since she could remember knowing him. Her strategy was to pretend that she didn't realize the feelings he had for her in hopes that he would eventually move on. She was currently still waiting for that to happen.

"Sup, Toad."

"The name's Todd." He said in a monotone, but she saw the way his eyes lit up at the familiar nickname.

"I know, cutie." She grinned and pinched his cheek.

So maybe she wasn't doing much to help alleviate his crush.

"Where's Claire?"

He sighed exasperatedly, "Where is she always? Up in her room." He opened the door wider and welcomed her in. "Hasn't been down all morning."

"Thanks." She stomped up the stairs so that Claire could hear her coming and knocked on the door.

She heard shuffling behind the door and it took almost a full minute for Claire to open the door. Massie noticed the sheets on her bed had been pulled off and was glad that she reminded Elsa to take care of hers. Hopefully, the housekeeper wouldn't inform her parents about their daughter's messy cologne scented sheets.

"Hey, Lyons," she smirked and peered in the room, "Anyone in here or can I come in?"

Claire's eyes bugged out of her head, "Shhh!" She hissed and looked out to see if anyone was in the hall before yanking Massie inside the room and shutting the door. Claire was dressed in fitted light wash 7 For All Mankind Jeans and Cam's soccer hoodie.

"Chill, Claire. No one's up here." Massie said. She went to sit on the bed and then thought better of it and sat on her desk table. Claire sat down in the desk chair across from her.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Cam almost literally bumped into my dad sneaking out of here. My heart hasn't stopped racing yet."

Massie snickered, but her face grew serious as she asked, "Are you alright? The two of you…"

"Had sex." Claire whispered, eyes trained to the floor.

When Massie said nothing, Claire looked at her sheepishly. "I don't know what came over me. It felt like we hadn't had alone time in days and-"

"Kuh-laire." Massie rolled her eyes. "You don't need to make excuses. I'm your best friend, _nawt_ your mother. What goes on between you and Cammie boy is completely none of my business. If you felt it was the right time-"

"I did."

"-and he was a gentleman-"

"He was."

"-and you're in love-"

"We are."

"Then I approve." Massie smiled.

Claire smiled back before grimacing. "I'm sort of in pain though."

"Me too." Massie nodded.

Claire's jaw dropped and her eyes opened in an expression that was comical.

"You and Derrick?"

Massie nodded and Claire shrieked.

"Ehmagawd." She stood up and pulled the brunette into a hug. Massie hugged her back and chuckled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Great actually."

For a while, they spoke hesitantly about their sexual experiences and joked about the mild awkwardness they both had felt at points.

"Don't you think it's weird that we both lost our virginities on the same night?" Massie wrinkled her nose. "Like, for all we know, our hymens were being broken in at the same time."

Claire covered her ears and screamed at her to shut up. "You're so crude, Massie!" She giggled. "Let's not talk about this anymore!"

Massie smirked and leaned in closer. "Maybe Cam and Derrick even got off at the same time."

"Ew!" Claire laughed harder and shoved her away.

When their laughter died down, Claire looked at Massie.

"So I know you didn't come here to tease me." She said softly. "What's wrong?"

Massie got up to look out Claire's window. "Kemp hasn't been telling the whole truth. Apparently he told Derrick and Cam that Kristen's not as fine as we were led to believe. She's having respiratory problems. Supposedly she's not speaking either."

Claire shot up out of her chair. "Wait, what?"

Massie shoved her hands into her pockets and turned to face her. "Long story short we're heading over to the hospital to see Kris in a little bit, family visitation only be damned. She needs us."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Claire panicked rushing to put on shoes. "Let's go now!"

"Leesh and Dylan don't know yet."

Claire reached for her cell. "Well why not? We should all already be on our way there."

Massie didn't answer.

"Seriously what is going on with you?" Claire asked. "Is there something else?"

She shook her head. "It's not that." She whispered. "I can't tell them. Alicia and Dylan. You have to."

"Why?"

"Because I don't feel like telling them more bad news and then promising that everything's going to be okay." Massie responded. "I promised you all that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and look what happens."

"And don't me that this isn't my fault." She continued. "Because it is. I called most of the shots that got us here."

Claire nodded. "It is your fault." She said. "And my fault. And Alicia's. And Dylan's. And Kristen's. Massie, you can't keep doing this. You can't keep breaking down. This situation's not getting any easier and you, as our leader, have to be the glue that keeps us from falling apart."

"What if I can't do that?" Massie said tiredly.

"Well suck it up. You're gonna have to. You're not alpha for nothing. You fought for your spot and you got it. Maybe things aren't going well for you right now but since when has that ever stopped you? Get over it." Claire's hard voice faltered for a second.

Massie smiled weakly. "You're not very good at being a hardass, Kuh-laire. Your eyes are still as sweet as pie."

Claire's face softened and her shoulders drooped. "Yeah. I know. I love you too much to be mean. But I meant what I said."

"I know you did." She grabbed the phone and dialed Alicia's number.

**CLIQUECLIQUECLIQUE**

**Ahhhh! How was the sex scene? Was it tasteful? I wanted it to be sort of detailed, but not gross. It's the first one I've ever written. Please tell me what you thought. And tell me about my characters. What do you think about where I'm going with them? REVIEW! Only a few more chapters left.**


	22. NOTACHAPTER

***Not a chapter***

**So I've gotten a lot of reviews begging me to update Notorious. Let me just say that nobody is more frustrated about this story than me. **

**Please allow me to explain what happened. It goes like this:**

**If you read my author's notes I'm sure you guys remember a few months back when I got a virus on my laptop because someone (my idiot cousin) illegally downloaded a movie. I had to pay a lot of money to get it fixed. A LOT. Keep in mind that I'm eighteen and unlike Westchester kids I have limited access to my parents funds. I finished my senior year with a bang and was busy doing all the college hubbub and then I finally updated. FINALLY. **

**And then... all hell broke loose. I was relieved and happy because I planned to update daily. I had finished writing Notorious. You heard me correctly: the story was done. Notice though that I said was and not is. After I paid practically a bajillion dollars to get it fixed something else happened: the bitch crashed. My laptop is DEAD. I can now turn it on, but cannot get past the password protector before it freezes. So I am unable to access all past files,my hundreds of dollars worth of music on Itunes, and old pictures I'd removed from my camera. I fell into a fit of depression. I started to go back and reread Notorious because I spent so much time away from it that I'd started to forget my story. All the notes I'd made, the last FOUR chapters are gone and it's incredibly hard to get the motivation to finish it AGAIN. I'm so very sorry and I'm aware that I lost a lot of readers because of my inability to update promptly.**

**I've been in a weird place, but I've decided that I will, in fact, rewrite the final four chapters of Notorious and the rest of It happened in April. I have since then gotten a mini netbook as a graduation gift and will continue to write on this site as long as you guys will have me.**

**XOXOXO, Likeavirgin101**

**Expect the next chapter within the next week.(I think)**


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